Chao
Lay Boat Floating Festival
falls during the middle of the sixth and eleventh
lunar months yearly. The fest is held at the Chao
Lay, or Sea Gipsy, villages in Phuket. The Rawai and
Sapam villages hold their ceremonies on the 13th;
Sirey village celebrates on the 14th; and the village
at Laem La (east of
the
bridge on Phuket's northerntip) celebrates on the
15th Ceremonies, which center around the setting adrift
of small boats similar to the Thai festival of Loy
Krathong, are held at night and their purpose is to
drive away evil and bring good luck. Fingernail clippings
and strands of hair are put in the little boats before
release, along with little dolls fashioned from wood.
Afterwards, the villagers perform their famous dance
round their own boats, called the Ram Rong Ngeng.
Thao
Thep Krasatri - Thao Sri Suntorn Festival
is held 13 March yearly
in memory of the two heroines who led the defense
of the island against the Burmese in 1785.
Turtle Release Fair is held on Songkran,
the nationwide Thai water festival, on 13 April. This
date is also National Fisherman's Day. Baby turtles
are released into the sea at various locations.
Por
Tor Festival This is an ancestor's festival
of the ethnic Chinese that falls on the seventh lunar
month of the Chinese, which is the same as the ninth
lunar month of the Thais, Special foods, flowers and
candles are presented
to the ancestors's altars. Cakes in the shape of turtles
are made from flour, some quite large. This is done
because turtles live to great age and it is believed
that by making such offering worshippers may extend
the length of their lives. It is an important merit-making
festival.
Phuket
Vegetarian Festival is held from the first
through the ninth nights of the ninth Chinese lunar
month; that is, in September or October. It was first
celebrated in 1825, when a troupe of actors enacted
these rites to ward off
a plague. Vegetarian food is eaten by participants
and white clothes worn during the period of the fest.
Selfmutilization is practiced by those whose bodies
become the temporary residence of powerful goods.
Parades of worshippers brave fireworks while carrying
images through the streets; others walk on fire or
climb bladed ladders. Participants number in the thousands.
The whole forms one of the most bizarre festivals
in Thailand.
Laguna
Phuket Triathlon This annual yearend event
sees the world's top triathletes and hundreds of amateurs
competing for prize money and placing on the world
triathlon circuit. The course, which includes swimming,
bicycling, and running through the beautiful natural
surroundings of Laguna PhuKet in Tambon Choeng Talay,
takes from two-and-a-half to five hours to complete.
Tourist
Season Opening Festival is usually called
the Patong Carnival in English, from the place where
celebrations occur, and is held starting 1 November.
There are many stalls with merchandise and food, parades,
sports events, and a beauty competition for foreign
tourists. The fest is held to cement solidarity among
the government, the private business sector, and the
people.
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