The annual Vegetarian Festival in Thailand (known as the Gin Jay Festival) is now in full swing. It started with the raising of a pole at Chinese temples around the country which signaled the nine gods to come down to earth. In Samut Prakan, the festival will run for ten days from 29th September to 8th October 2009. In other parts of the country it will run for nine days and nights. The dates are different each year as they are set by the phases of the moon. Most of the attention is on the events happening in Phuket, but really you will find that Chinese communities all around Thailand will be celebrating the Vegetarian Festival at this time. The main venue in Samut Prakan city is at Rongjae Thongsiang near Taiban Circle. That is where I went last night. But first, I went to eat at Taiban Circle where there were dozens of food stalls selling vegetarian food. These roadside vendors are easy to spot as they fly yellow flags with the Thai words "jay" written in red letters. Most of my favourite stalls had gone vegetarian with special versions of pad thai and red curry. I had a dish that looked very much like minced pork fried with basil and chili but the vendor assured me it was 100% "jay".

Every evening for the ten day festival there is a special ceremony at Rongjae starting at 7 p.m. when I turned up there were about 150 people already sitting down and chanting in a large hall. At the front were about five monks leading the ceremony. I was actually expecting more people because out on the street that there were literally hundreds of people either eating the vegetarian food or waiting for take-away. I was a bit nervous about going in as I don't normally visit Chinese shrines. At the doorway, two lay people motioned that I should put on a white cloak which was the kind of thing that doctors wore. I hadn't come wearing white as I didn't think it would be so strict for observers. Luckily, I was also wearing my white jacket and so I asked if it was alright if I just zipped that up. As I was also wearing grey coloured trousers, they said it would be alright. I didn't take pictures at first but just sat and observed the proceedings. It wasn't long before someone came up to offer me some warm and sweet tasting tea. They asked if I had eaten already. Then a bit later someone else came over to chat. Everyone was so welcoming and warm. They kept asking if I had eaten yet. They were obviously pleased to hear that I was eating vegetarian for the full ten days of the festival.

Although I didn't fully understand everything that was going on, it was similar in many ways to Buddhist ceremonies that I have attended in the past. After the chanting, everyone took part in "wien tien" a procession around the main shrine. The yellow and white sheets that everyone was holding during the chanting and procession were then collected up and taken outside to be burned. Next, one of the monks walked around the hall blessing everyone with sacred water. Then came "kruat nam" where the people poured water from one container to the next to pass the merit onto dead ancestors. The ceremony concluded about one hour after it started with some more chanting. As people started to leave, one of the lay people reminded everyone that there would be another "wien tien" the following day. I was about to go myself when one of the organizers came up to me. He turned out to be the main supplier for uniforms at my school. He proved to be very useful as he filled me in with the details of all the events that will be happening. The next big event will be on Friday with "Loy Krathong Jay" at the city hall. I know that sounds strange to have Loy Krathong in October, but I will tell you more about that later.

I am now on day four of the Vegetarian Festival. It hasn't actually been that difficult keeping to the strict diet. I have never done a vegan diet before. I think I was going through withdrawal symptoms the first few days as I had headaches and fatigue. I am not sure if that was to do with not eating meat or the fact that I had stopped drinking coffee as well. But, I feel a lot better now. I am confident I can keep going until the end. A number of my Thai colleagues at school have already finished as they had only planned to do three days. But, I want to do this properly. The meals in the evenings have been very easy. There are vegetarian shops all around Paknam. The best places though are at Racha Market and Taiban Circle. There is such a variety of food on offer and really good stuff. The only thing I have to do is make sure that I don't eat too many fried dishes as I am sure that is not healthy. The teachers at school keep saying that they always put on weight during the vegetarian festival but I have been losing it so far. If you are interested in taking part yourself either this year or the next, then here are the ten rules:

1. Keep your body clean during the nine days of the festival
2. Use special kitchen utensils that have never been used to prepare and cook meat
3. Wear white or yellow during the festival
4. Make your mind pure and mentally calm
5. Do not eat meat or animal products such as milk and butter, and strong smelling ingredients such as garlic and onion
6. No sex
7. No alcoholic drinks or tobacco
8. People who are mourning should not attend the festival
9. Pregnant ladies should not attend any of the ceremonies
10. Ladies who are having a period should not attend any of the ceremonies

We have a discussion over at ThailandQA.com about what you can eat during the Vegetarian Festival. I will also post news about the local festival in the Samut Prakan Forum.

Related Blogs:

Eating Vegetarian in Thailand by Richard Barrow
The Vegetarian Festival by Kitjar Sukjaidee
Thai Vegetarian Festival: an inside look by SiamJai
Vegetarian Festival Photos

Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year. The true dates vary every year as they are set by the movement of the stars but are usually between 13th and 16th April. However, the Thai government have now fixed the start of Songkran as 13th April. This usually then lasts for three to five days depending on where you are in the country. The Mon people, in areas like Phra Pradaeng in Samut Prakan and Chonburi, celebrate Songkran a week later than the rest of the county. They had their celebrations this weekend. This afternoon I crossed the river to Phra Pradaeng to watch the Songkran parade. This picture above is of Nang Songkran, the winner of the beauty contest that I went to watch on Friday.

This was my second visit to watch the parade. This time I drove to Wat Protket Chettharam in Phra Pradaeng much earlier. Last time I did manage to arrive before the parade but they had already blocked the road. So I had to walk the remaining 800 metres. As a consequence I got a bit wet. This time I had a better plan of action. I arrived two hours before the parade and just relaxed by the canal in the relative safety of the temple. From here I could see the bridge and the passing pick-up trucks with the water throwers on the back. In the end the parade didn't arrive for nearly three hours. At 4 p.m. I could hear the marching band faintly on the wind. As there was no longer any traffic on the road above me I decided to go and wait on the bridge. It was nearly another hour before they arrived. The parade started at the city hall which is a fair walk. Luckily I didn't get wet while I was waiting. A few people did ask me if they could wipe wet powder on my face but I declined their offer. I knew from experience that this would then mark me out as fair game to anyone with a bucket of icy cold water.

It would be fair to say that the Phra Pradaeng Songkran Parade is quite a major event. Much larger than the one I went to watch at the Samut Prakan city hall last week. Actually, two of the floats from that parade were here today including Nang Songkran Samut Prakan. This is her picture above. In total there were about twenty major floats all of which were colourfully decorated. Many of them also had beautiful young Thai ladies on them.

As well as the floats, there were also various marching bands, both traditional and modern. Then there were the parades of people from each of the districts in Phra Pradaeng. Many of them were either carrying bowls of fish or birds in cages. It is a Mon tradition to release birds and fish during Songkran in order to make merit. Over the years, the Thai people have also adopted this tradition as their own.

The climax of the parade takes at Wat Protket Chettharam where I had parked my car. This is basically a photo opportunity as it is such a beautiful backdrop with people wearing traditional Thai costumes. However, they are indeed making merit by releasing the fish in the temple pond and also the birds into the air. In this picture is the governor of Samut Prakan (wearing the ghastly green sarong) and other local officials and representatives of government. In the front row you can see Nang Songkan wearing the red sash in the center together with the runner's up. I have posted some more pictures at thailandqa.com.

The 13th April marks the start of the celebrations for the Songkran Festival, which is the traditional Thai New Year. In many cities around Thailand there is a parade. On one of the floats are the seven daughters of a mythical God who had his head cut off when he lost a wager. Every year, his severed head is paraded through the city streets for everyone to see.

Each year, the seven sisters take turns to lead the parade. Each sister is assigned a different day. As Songkran falls on a Sunday this year, the parade is lead by Tungsatevee. Her mode of transport is Garuda, a supernatural eagle-like being that serves as Vishnu's mount. In Tungsatevee's right hand she holds a discuss and in her left hand a conch.

Hundreds of local people lined each side of the street and cheered as the parade passed by. There were also Buddha images in the parade and people threw water to bathe the image as a mark of respect. Today people will also go to the temple to wash the feet of monks. They will also visit their elders to pay respect by pouring rose scented water over their hands. In return they will receive a blessing. Another tradition is to go to the temple to take part in a ceremony to make merit for dead ancestors. People also take sand to the temple which might have inadvertently been removed during past visits during their year by sticking to the bottom of their shoes. They then take part in competitions at the temple to build sand pagodas.

Of course, the main feature of Songkran which is recognized by tourists is the big water fight. April is the hottest month of the year in Thailand and so playing with water is a great way to cool down and have some fun at the same time.

Visit our Songkran Blogs for more pictures and reports. Also Check out the archives at our sister blogs at ThaiPhotoBlogs.com for more pictures.

This week sees the celebration for the start of the traditional Thai new year. From the 13th-15th April, Thai people will be dressing up in new clothes and visiting the local temple to make merit and to their grandparents in order to receive blessings. Afterwards, the youngsters will be out on the street taking part in the world's biggest water fight.

* If you go out during Songkran, then you are fair game. Don't complain if you are squirted in the face with a water pistol or someone rubs white powder on your face. Although it might not seem like it, they are actually taking part in a centuries old tradition of paying respect to their elders. Let them do it and smile. Resistance is useless.

* If you are a woman, try not to dress provocatively - particularly spaghetti strap tops or white t-shirts that become revealing when wet. Thai people are traditionally conservative, but some young men will take advantage of Songkran to grope you. Many of them have been partying all night and are drunk.

* Keep your cool at all times. Everyone is just having fun. Be prepared for the buckets of water which have been pre-chilled with ice. Also beware that people might come up to you from behind to smear white powder on your face. If they are polite they will ask first. But, you won't see that happen often. Try not to move too much when they are doing it as you might end up with the paste in your eyes. However, that is inevitable the longer you stay out.

* Don't wear your best clothes. If you take your camera then make sure you also have a plastic bag. Better still, buy a camera that is waterproof. Last year, many people ended up with soggy mobile phones that stopped working. The mobile phone vendors do good business during Songkran repairing them.

* By law you have to carry your passport at all times. However, during Songkran you are running the risk of your important documents getting wet. Make photocopies of your passport to take out with you and leave all important documents in the hotel safe.

* If you don't want to take part in the water fights then you will need to stock up for at least 3-4 days. Some expats go out to buy enough DVD movies and food to last them the holidays. If you do venture out, the chances are high that you will get soaked by one of the mobile water units on the back of a pick-up truck.

* The shopping malls and movie theatres are all open during Songkran. So, you can use these places as a safe haven. However, getting to them safely might be a problem. If you have to use public transport, make sure you use an air-conditioned bus or meter taxi. If you use a normal bus with the windows down or a tuk tuk then you will get soaked.

* If you are going out in your car, try to stick to the main roads. There is no point in washing your car before or during Songkran. Wherever you go your car will get plastered with white paste. Make sure that you have topped up your windscreen wipers with plenty of water. You will use them often. Whatever, you do, don't forget to LOCK all car doors. If you stop at traffic lights or in a traffic jam, they will try to open your doors.

* Songkran is not just about water fights. Do make an effort to see the more traditional side. Early in the morning Thai people will be going to the temples to make merit. They will also bathe the monks and Buddha images with rose scented water. In the afternoon, they will build sand pagodas in the temple grounds.

If you are in Thailand, then I hope you go out and have some fun! The temperature is above 35 degrees Celsius and this is a good way to cool down. However, if you are not in Thailand, then try visiting your local Thai temple. Many of them will be holding Songkran activities. Hopefully some of our bloggers abroad will be writing about that.

Songkran on the Internet: Read more about Songkran in our archives by clicking here >>>

Happy New Year!

(This blog was originally published at thai-blogs.com in 2005)