in the distant motherland
there exists a yearly vegetarian festival:
The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is an annual event held during the ninth lunar month (september-october) of the Chinese calendar. It is believed that the vegetarian festival and its accompanying sacred rituals bestow good fortune upon those who religiously observe this rite. During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry strictly observe a 10-day vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes of spiritual cleansing and merit-making. Sacred rituals are performed at various Chinese shrines and temples and aesthetic displays such as walking barefooted over hot coals and ascending ladders with bladed rungs are performed by entranced devotees known as “Ma Song”.
a photo of a “Ma Song” or entranced horse.
The Vegetarian Festival started when a Chinese opera company visited the island of Phuket, in Thailand, some 180 years ago and fell ill during its stay. The actors ate only vegetarian food for a month, and made a full recovery.
now that i’ve piqued your interest read the entire article here
(photo attributed to above article and author).
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how do i keep from having serious bloat when on a veggie diet? would i have to eat veggies or would muffins with Thai gooseberry jam suffice?
veggie lover
February 6, 2007 at 1:59 pm