The Vegetarian Festival now practiced wherever there’s Chinese in Thailand are started by the Hokkiens in Phuket a little more than a hundred years ago (or something like that). Phuket Town does look remarkably like an inland version of Georgetown except the vegetarian food is not really that appetizing.
The few Hokkiens I bump into cannot muster more than a few words of Hokkien, relegating Hokkien as their parents’ language, not theirs. In a strange twist, many Thais are happily adopted the Vegetarian Festival as their own custom. Things here are not as clear cut as Malaysia, which shows that people DO get along well if they want it to.
We went to Bang Niew Shrine to see the raising of the Lantern Pole, which was quite an thrilling experience. Everyone was staring at this massive pole (carved from a single tree!) occasionally slip a few times over a large crowd of people. More like hair-raising.
An aural experience as well, if you can mix in your head the sound of firecrackers, lion dance music, and 10 people trying to give orders to 5 other people.
