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Kin Je: A Vegetarian Festival

      Kin Je or Kin Phak¹, called ‘kau ong che’ or ‘kiu ong che’ (jiu huang jie) in Chinese, is an enduring tradition of Thai people of Chinese descent in the provinces along the Andaman coast such as Phuket, Trang, Krabi, and Pang-nga. The tradition is held for nine days starting from the 1st to the 9th day of the waning moon in the 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar, which is the 11th month of the Thai calendar.

Origin

      Kin Je is believed to have originated in China but possibly from two different areas. 1) It is believed to have its roots in Jiangxi. When people in the province were suffering from a dreadful disaster, a great sage suggested people wipe out the crisis by establishing the tradition of consuming vegetables. He said that it could protect them from disasters, purify their souls and commemorate ancestral spirits. 2) Secondly, the tradition is believed to have commenced in Xiamen City, Fujian in the reign of the last king of the Song Dynasty. The king committed suicide to escape from war. After the Yuan Dynasty came to power, people started the tradition of Kin Je. 

      Kin Je in Southern Thailand is believed to be essentially held in Phuket, specifically in Kathu District into which many Chinese people migrated. Besides that, they follow strict Chinese traditions regardless of where they were. Chinese people who lived in Kathu District brought in several traditions such as the mid-Autumn Festival, paying respect to gods, and Kin Je. After having been performed for 2-3 years, people gradually respected Kin Je because they observed a decreasing rate of illness among the people. As a result, people in Kathu District fully practice Kin Je based on the typical Kin Je from Jiangxi, China. 

Rituals

       One day before the ritual, a shrine is cleaned and smoked using fragrant wood. After people conduct the rite of summoning a deity to settle as chairman of Kin Je and raising a flagpole, there is a ritual called ‘Pang ia’ or ‘Pang Kun’ in which troops of soldiers are placed at every direction based on the troop placement in the Song Dynasty period. The symbol of the ritual is installed with flags of different colors. Throughout the nine days of the ritual, there are several rituals as part of Kin Je such as the veneration of ancestral spirits, offering food for monks, the praying rituals, the star worship ritual, a street procession, fire walking, the ritual of removing bad luck, and the procession of returning gods to heaven, etc. 

The atmosphere in Kin Je 

       At the beginning of Kin Je participants will prepare cooking tools and utensils by cleaning up existing ones or buying new ones. Those who follow a strict Kin Je will wear white clothes throughout the nine Kin Je days. The kitchens of each shrine will be assigned to prepare and serve food to the Kin Je participants. There are various kinds of non-fat and meat-free dishes such as stir-fried dishes, clear soup and curry. Additionally, many stalls sell various kinds of vegetarian food around the shrine.

Value

          Apart from wiping out bad fortune and illness, Kin Je is also to express gratitude to ancestors    and purify one’s mind through observing the precepts. Moreover, it helps strengthen harmony in the society because every group of people whether rich or poor participates in Kin Je together.  

Photo by edtguide and shutterstock