Phuket Vegetarian - Chapter Three
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Rules for all vegetarians
1. A person who is in mourning, can’t join this ceremony
2. A person who is pregnant, nearly to give birth a baby can participate a vegetarian festival but can’t watch a perform of this ceremony or respect the image at a shrine when people are on performing (Don’t get in a shrine)
3. A woman who is in a menstruation can join with this ceremony but can’t respect the image at a shrine or watch any performs in a shrine. (Don’t get in a shrine)
4. No sex
5. No alcohol drinks
6. Don’t eat meat and acrid vegetables such as onion, garlic, Chinese garlic, Chinese Chives, parsley, spicy relish or tobacco and cigarette. These are believed that increase the passion and some believes these acrid vegetables come from a blood of animal.
7. Clean yourself before and always join with a ceremony.
8. Behave physically and mentally
Moreover, some people believe in don’t call Ma Song’s name when the God will stay in Ma Song or when the God show his power because it believes that Ma Song will be painful.
Tradition of Vegetarian Festival
Before the festival begins
A committee will clean in and out of a shrine and have a meeting in preparing before the ceremony at least 15 days.
Preparing the dried food, joss stick, candle, gold paper and things donation
Prepare the pumpkin, wax gourd, pickled bean curd, pickled turnip, salted soya beans, black soy sauce, white soy sauce, salt, sugar, rice, vegetable oil and other things are joss sticks, gold paper, firecracker, pictures of Koei Haan ceremony (to get rid of bad luck performed) etc.
Clean day (clean a shrine)
3 days before the festival begins, a shrine and people will help to clean a shrine including wash dishes, wares which use in this ceremony and things that use for move the God images.
Lift the Koh Teng pole (God Pole)
In a part of a shrine, they will prepare dried vegetables, fruits and sweets especially for a ceremony. Stick yellow papers at the door and around a shrine.
Lift the Koh Teng pole ceremony
Before 05.00 pm. a man will command children to play gongs along the road then tell people help to lift a God pole and Kiw Ong Tai Te. Then they go to a shrine for pull a cord. When a pole is lifted, bring the 9 oil lamps lift to the top of a pole before invite the God of Kiw Ong Tai Te to a shrine.
If who has the god images in a house, he will light 3 joss sticks for tell and invite all Gods to participate the Vegetarian Festival at a shrine.
Koei Seng Hiew (Fragrant plants of a shrine)
In the night time a shrine committee will prepare all of things which use in this ceremony and for respect at the altar.
At 11.00 pm. a committee will pray for tell to all Gods in the shrine to know. Until the Fragrant plants pot ceremony, fumigate all over a shrine then put on the altar to invite to be a president in the ceremony and invited 9Gods.
Invited Yok Ong Song Te (Pra Siva)
Arrived 00.15 am. A midnight time of the first of the ninth lunar month (Chinese calendar), a committee respects the Gods in a shrine and tells steps of a ceremony. Next they will invite the fragrant plants pot, joss stick pot and the name of God to install at the altar.
Invited Kiw Ong Tai Te (9 Chinese Gods)
After above ceremony, light all 9 lamps only a half pole until invite Kiw Ong Tai Te and hand joss stick pot to the inner. Then they will pray pull up lamps to the top of a pole. So it means to the Vegetarian Festival begins.
People donate and join the Vegetarian Festival
The festival begins, people participate the ceremony and make merit, inform their names for selected to a committee of shrine in the next year.
Kow Ngoei Choei Ik (The first of the ninth lunar month follow a Chinese calendar)
A kitchen of a shrine cooks for vegetarian meals to the villagers take to their homes, and the Gods will look over foods.
Kow Ngoei Choei Sa (The third of the ninth lunar month follow a Chinese calendar)
Until 3 days “Huad Kua” will pray and invite other Gods to join this ceremony. Stack out around a shrine in directions by “Tek Hoo” (bamboo cabalistic writing) and write a senior God on it then pitch at the important point of a shrine that are Koh Teng pole, kitchen, gold paper kiln, it means to released the soldiers for guarding…
- Tung Iea = East = Green flag with the army leader, Kiw Iee Koon
- Lum Iea = South = Red flag with the army leader, Pud Baan Koon
- Sai Iea = West = White flag with the army leader, Lok Yong
- Puk Iea = North = Black flag with the army leader, Ngor Tek Koon
- Chong Iea = Central = Yellow flag with the army leader, Sam Sin Koon
When the released soldiers’ ceremony finished, they will make “Kho Koon” ceremony (a banquet for soldiers) through the ceremony from 03.00 pm. – 04.00 pm. everyday.
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Flags are pitched in front of a shrine. |
Invited Lum Tow Puk Tow (A person who holds a list of birth and death people.)
In the same day 07.00 pm. a committee invites the Gods to stay and has a procession to invite Lum Tow Puk Tao installs at the middle of the palace for listen and join this ceremony together. Along the procession, the people ask for blessing with Gods in Ma Song’s body and some light firecracker.
Other ceremonies
Around the 5th night will invite Gods to stay again for show their power such as
- Kee Tow Tui (Climb on the blade stairs)
- Koei Ti Teng Sung (Walk on the nail bridge)
- Koei Iew Tiea (Soak with oil)
These ceremonies, Gods will set the day. (Each shrine is difference.)
Koei Chid Chae ceremony (Respect Gods of the planets)
02.00 pm. A shrine will build a marquee in front of a shrine, invite a senior God installs to join the ceremony. 08.30 pm. All of committee propitiate the Gods and planets, read all vegetarians both male and female and the quantity of rice that used in this ceremony. A senior will scatter cabalistic writings to people who come to join there and bless them.
On this night a shrine has to prepare a procession of things for “Sia Hoei” at Sapan Hin on the next day, it refers to recall the day that shrines had invited “Kiw Ong Tai Te” with the scripture from China.
Sia Hiew Hoei ceremony (Invite the fire joss stick from China)
Prepare things for “Kiw Ong Tai Te” and invite a senior God until reached auspiciousness, they will move a procession from a shrine to a town and continue to Sapan Hin.
During parade, each God will show his power by emphasized in torment himself such as pierce body by sharp things etc. Believe that Gods will gain a bad luck instead of people. Vegetarians are more curable than show power. People will set tables for respect Gods by a procession alongside the road and some light firecrackers also.
Reached Sapan Hin, a committee will invite “Hiew Hoei” of Kiw Ong Tai Te by consult the oracles. The next will invite a procession back to a shrine.
A ceremony to get rid of bad luck.
- Koei Hoei ceremony
A ceremony to get rid of bad luck by walk through on fire, a bad luck will disappeared by fire.
- Koei Haan ceremony
To get rid of a bad luck by use 1 Chinese Chive with few coins and then walk pass a bridge, there are Gods stand for stamp “Kiw Ong Tai Te” the sign of joined this ceremony already. Then bring “Toei Sin”, 1 Chinese Chive and few coins put in a blank or a basket. A man will cross a fragrant plants pot but a woman and a child don’t cross, Chinese Chive refers to long life.
Yok Ong Song Te (Pra Siva) ceremony on the ninth of the ninth lunar month by a Chinese calendar)
Before midnight or midnight, a shrine will set a table for a ceremony to send the Gods back to a heaven.
Tear yellow papers (Lien Tui)
After this ceremony finished, a committee will help to tear yellow papers and the name of donors for burn then sent to “Kiw Ong Tai Te”.
Send “Kiw Ong Tai Te” (9 Chinese Gods) ceremony
This ceremony will set before midnight or midnight. There is a last chant in the royal palace room to read the name of the committee and all people who help the ceremony of this year for “Kiw Ong Tai Te” know.
After finished, a committee will invite a joss stick pot with “Leng Kuan Tai Te” (a private secretary), Lum Tao Puk Tao (a person who hold a list of birth and death people) leave from a shrine to a sending place. There are people join a procession and ask for blessing.
Pitch a pole of God and Kiw Ong Tai Te ceremony (The tenth of the ninth lunar month on a Chinese calendar)
Every shrine has to write “red paper” stick on doors of a shrine and keep all the things that used for this ceremony. A kitchen cooks foods until 05.00 pm. people will come to join to pitch a pole ceremony in front of a shrine and then carry back again. Besides, invite soldiers back to their army and then it finished, people who carry their God images to participate with a shrine will carry it back to their home by a ceremony.
Most of vegetarians are in white dresses.
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