Bizarre Barbaric Buddhists

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is reportedly an annual cleansing event for Buddhist devotees (article here). The article says these “devotees go on a vegetarian diet to cleanse their bodies before taking part in processions, where they pierce their bodies with sharp objects, walk over hot coals and carry shrines past exploding firecrackers”.

According to the 'official' website, participants of this strange shenanigan have to be “local residents of Chinese ancestry”. This would make it more of a cultural event rather than a religious activity.

Nonetheless, whether it be a religious or cultural practice, it is still a bizarre and barbaric event that shamelessly promotes itself to the world as being associated with healthy vegetarianism, respectable religious ritual and upstanding cultural tradition. What utter rubbish! There is nothing about the festival that is healthy, respectable or upstanding.

The 10 Rules of the Vegetarian Festival are amazingly idiotic too.

1. Cleanliness of bodies during the festival
2. Clean kitchen utensils and to use them seperately (sic) from other who do not join the festival
3. Wear white during the festival
4. Behave physically and mentally
5. No meat eating
6. No sex
7. No alcoholic drinks
8. People at mourning period should not attend the festival
9. Pragnant (sic) ladies should not watch any ritual
10. Ladies with period should not attend the ritual

He must be wearing white underwear (pic from here)

Another observation: the concept of vegetarianism is totally different depending on whether it is based on East or West concepts. I prefer the Western treatment of vegetarianism, which tends to have no association with religious or cultural traditions and practices.