Yesterday began the 9-day Chinese Nine Emperor Gods Festival (九皇爺 ), which is also known as the Vegetarian Festival or Tesagan Gin Je, for example, in the Kingdom of Thailand.
The annual event begins on the eve of the ninth lunar month according to the Chinese calendar and has become widespread in the Southeast Asian region (Southeast Asia) - countries such as Burma (Myanmar), Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The festival begins with temple ceremonies for the deities to awaken and welcome the nine emperors, who in Taoism correspond to the patrons of the 9 planets that govern life and death.
Another name for the holiday - the Vegetarian Festival - has developed for the reason that during this event people adhere to a vegetarian diet. Festival participants dress in white with a yellow and red symbol gin je (เจ; in Thai - กินเจ), which means refraining from eating meat, fish and other marine life, as well as dairy products. The same yellow sign with red characters is used by restaurant owners who offer vegan food to their customers. In Thailand, large supermarkets are also joining the action - for example, Tesco Lotus and Makro Foods place gin je flags and yellow-red lanterns near vegan products and / or offer them to visitors at a discount.
Thailand's largest Vegetarian Festival celebrations can be found on the island of Phuket, where about 35% of the inhabitants are Thai with Chinese descent. The events are accompanied by a show of people piercing different parts of the body (tongues, cheeks, etc.) with sharp objects, expressing their devotion to the deities in such an unusual way. Outwardly, this hardly corresponds to modern ideas about vegetarianism and non-violence in the Western world, but such are the ancient traditions of the Festival of the Nine Gods of the Emperor.
When people massively adhere to a vegan diet for at least 9 days a year, this is of great benefit to the ecology of the Planet and helps to reduce violence against animals.
See also anekdotig:
- News: " Thailand will generate more solar energy than all of Southeast Asia " (August 3, 2015)
- Article: Vegetarianism as a Life Choice! »
- Video: " Paul McCartney on Meat Free Monday ."
- Tip: " Organize a day without meat and animal products " (September 14, 2015)