Vegetarian Festival formally starts in Thailand

BANGKOK, October 5 (TNA) - A muber of Thais of Chinese origin throughout the Kingdom started consuming vegetables, instead of meat, on Saturday morning, as they observe a 10-day annual Vegetarian Festival, this year formally set from October 5-13. In Bangkok, crowds of Chinese-blooded Thai people, mostly dressed in white, began the day by worshiping the highly revered "KuanIm", in Thai, or "Guanyin" goddess and vowed to perform good deeds and refrain from eating meat during the annual Vegetarian Festival. Overall atmosphere on Yaowaraj Road, also widely known as Thailand's Chinatown, a ceremony to formally kick start this year's Vegetarian Festival will be held this afternoon, at 4:30pm, by Bangkok Governor M.R. SukhumbhandParibatra at the majestic "Ceremonial Gate" at Odeon Circle. Workers were decorating the Odeon Circle this morning, while food vendors have already started selling vegetarian food and fruits to people. Meanwhile, Chinese-blooded people in Hat Yai, Thailand's southern business hub in Songkhla province, have also begun eating vegetarian food. Despite rising prices of vegetarian food in Thailand, people have bought vegetables from markets, while vendors said they found more young people have switched to eating vegetable food this year. (TNA)