Praying Through the Vegetarian Festival

Southern Thailand • October 9–18, 2026

For ten days each year, the Vegetarian Festival becomes part of life here in Southern Thailand.

People dress in white. Vegetarian food stalls line the streets. Shrines fill with activity, processions move through town, and firecrackers echo late into the night. People come seeking healing, protection, and blessing.

But beneath the color and celebration is a much darker spiritual reality. Invitations are made to spirits, people become possessed, and worship is offered to beings believed to bring healing and protection.

For us, these aren’t simply scenes from an exotic festival. These are our neighbors. We pass these shrines on the way to buy groceries. We know people who participate, some from families that have followed these traditions for generations.

So during these ten days, we want to pray—not with contempt or fear, but with love for the people and places God has put around us.

We invite you to pray with us for Southern Thailand.