It takes a lot of hands, and some big skillets, to
feed 5,000 people, but organizers of the Pattaya Vegetarian Festival had it
covered again this year in Naklua. Shown here, Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome and
Banglamung District Chief Sakchai Taengho help the “master chefs” create this
batch of delicious heavenly rice. The festival comes to a conclusion today, Oct.
3.
Staff Reporters
It takes a lot of hands, and some big skillets, to feed 5,000 people,
but organizers of the Pattaya Vegetarian Festival had it covered again this year
in Naklua.
Culture Minister Sukumol Kunplome, former MPs, Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome and city
council members kicked off the Sept. 23-Oct. 3 festival at the Sawang Boriboon
Foundation Vegetarian Hall following the traditional Chinese lion and dragon
parade through the city.
A parade cannot be a parade without a marching band,
and this one performed brilliantly.
The annual dual-headed procession consisting of “Kiew Huang Huk Jow” (the nine
deities who are the spiritual mascots of the festival) and “Bhodisttava” (also
known as Chow Mae Kuan Im, the goddess of mercy, compassion & healing) kicked
off at Bali Hai Pier and ran up Walking Street.
The parade group then split, with half following Beach Road to Central Road and
turning right. The second branch traveled along Second Road, stopping for a
dragon show, then met the first group at Central Road. Reunited, the groups
moved to Third Road and then jumped on buses to go to the Sawang Boriboon
headquarters.
Pattaya administrators bang their gongs to announce
the arrival of the parade at Lan Pho.
Vegans dressed in white and were hungry for action, and rice with plums, by the
time they arrived in Naklua. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves as the waited
for the “Khao Thip 5 Mongkol,” or Five Auspicious Celestial Rice to sizzle,
entertained by “eng-ko” fearsome fighters, along lion and dragon shows.
Surasak Pankluab, head of the Chefs Association of Pattaya and East Coast,
oversaw the cooking of the rice dish consisting of rice, beans, corn, mushrooms,
gingko nuts, carrots, oyster sauce, and oil. All the ingredients were thrown
into a trio of three-meter-wide frying pans heated to 100 degrees C and stirred
by 15 people each.
A fierce dragon wants to help ward off evil spirits.
The cooks served up 5,000 plates of the heavenly rice, which was distributed
free to everyone at the festival throughout the night.
Sawang Boriboon President Visit Chaowalitnittithum noted that the Chinese
calendar, for the first time in 182 years, calls for two vegetarian festivals,
with the second period falling Oct. 24-Nov. 1. However, due to the expense and
traffic created, Pattaya will host only one festival. Bangkok’s Chinatown will
host a second fest.
For those unwilling to brave the crowds in Naklua, Central Festival Pattaya
Beach also is running its own vegetarian festival. Mall executives kicked off
festivities Sept. 23 with guest Jirasak Jirapat, business development director
of the J Hotel Pattaya, presenting a special tofu steak.
Numerous mall restaurants will be offering vegan meals during the period,
including Ali Arabic, S&P, Black Canyon Coffee, MK, Sizzler, Oishii Ramen.
Visit Chaowalitnittithum, president of Sawang
Boriboon Thammasathan, and Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome welcome people to the
official opening of this year’s Pattaya Vegetarian Festival.
Of course, Pattaya street vendors also are cooking up vegetable dishes, with
many seeing their incomes blossom during the 10 days.
However, Sawang Boriboon lead chef Amporn Potthong noted that vegetable prices
have jumped, as usual, during the festival, as much as 20 percent, due to high
demand and more than a bit of price gouging of those abstaining from meat.
Honored guests stir the Khao Thip 5 Mongkol (Five
Auspicious Celestial Rice) to serve the 5000 people attending the opening of
this year’s Pattaya Vegetarian Festival.
Surat Mekavarakul (right), MD of Mike Shopping Mall,
leads employees in the worshipping ceremony.
Lions and dragons are considered auspicious beings
at the vegetarian festival.
Eng-Ko fighters join the parade through town before
showing off their fighting skills.
Eng-Ko fighters perform at Sawang Boriboon
Thammasathan.
Chinese acrobats, always an exciting edition to the
festival, perform on Beach Road.
Devout citizens prepare to light their candles and
incense to welcome the lords at Lan Pho market.
Citizens prepare to make donations to the lions and
dragons in the parade.
Former MP Poramet Ngampichet, Banglamung District
Chief Sakchai Taengho, and former Minister of Culture Sonthaya Kunplome
represent the Sawang Boriboon Foundation.
Children from the Kung Fu training center on Pattaya
3rd Road perform for the audience.
Former Minister of Culture Sonthaya Kunplome (left)
and friends give their thumbs up to the heavenly rice.
A young boy has been put in charge of banging the
gong to announce the presence of the parade through town.
Colorful toys help brighten the festival for
youngsters.
The dragon parade performs at Mike Shopping Mall.
Tiraporn Jitnawa, general manager of the Central
Festival Pattaya Beach, Saiyan Nakboon, general manager of the Central Center
Pattaya and (James) Jirasak Jirapat, business development director of the J
Hotel Pattaya and friends gather for the launch of the Vegetarian Festival at
Central Festival Pattaya Beach.
The dragon parade makes its way to the front Sawang
Boriboon Thammasathan.
