Phuket: Por Tor Festival - Hungry Ghost Festival
The Por Tor Festival, known locally as The Hungry Ghost Festival, is a month-long celebration that honours the dead. It is a colourful, important event for Phuket’s local Hokkien Chinese community. Tributes are paid by Phuket's Thai-Chinese inhabitants to their ancestors through a variety of merit-making ceremonies. The Hungry Ghost Festival showcases a rich tradition in Phuket, with a variety of activities taking place at all of the Chinese shrines across the island.
THAILAND: PHUKET
The Por Tor (Hungry Ghost) Festival is an important merit-making event for the ethnic Chinese in Phuket.
Special food, flowers and candles are offered to ancestors on altars. Offerings are also made to 'feed the ghosts without relatives', which locals believe to have been released from hell for the month.
Experience this unique event for yourself at any Chinese shrine on the island. You can also head to Seng Tek Bel Shrine on Phuket Road and Ranong Road's fresh market to enjoy two of the biggest Hungry Ghost celebrations in Phuket.
The Por Tor Hungry Ghost Festival takes place annually on the first day of the waxing moon in the 7th Chinese calendar month, usually late-August or early-September.
The Por Tor Festival in Phuket Town is one of the highlights of the many Phuket Festivals & Events.
During the month of the Por Tor Festival, it is common belief that the gates of hell are opened, allowing for hungry ghosts to return to the realm of the living to enjoy delicious feasts prepared by their relatives. It also signifies a time to help those who are suffering and perhaps stuck in a state of purgatory – spirits who died suddenly, often away from family, and who were not given the chance to have a proper funeral ceremony.
Seng Tek Bel Shrine (also known as Por Tor Kong Shrine) is considered the centre of the festival. It hosts this annual event for 7 days and 7 nights, while most shrines only do so for a couple of days.
The Ranong Road fresh market gets busy during this time of the year. The whole market (and nearby areas) are colourfully decorated. hosting interesting activities from about noon until midnight. Must-sees include a traditional merit-making ceremony, lion dances, magic shows, live concerts, and cabaret shows.
The Hungry Ghost Festival in Phuket is an excellent time to enjoy Chinese-influenced local food at very friendly prices. There are usually a few big parades going on during the festival. School kids and local folks dress up in their best traditional costumes, with many girls wearing a red cheongsam (a Chinese-style dress) and carrying flowers, red turtle cakes and fruits to the shrines.
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The first day of The Hungry Ghost Festival always begins in the family home. A table is set with a variety of traditional dishes placed in the middle. Additionally, a bowl of rice is placed on the table for each one of the family’s departed relatives. Incense sticks are poked into the centre of the rice bowls and lit, while family members often sit quietly to the side. Once the incense sticks burn through, it is believed that the hungry ghosts have finished dining. Family members are then allowed to gather around the table to enjoy their own meal.
Red Turtle Sweets for Hungry Ghosts - Ang Ku
The traditional customs of the Thai-Chinese still show signs of a strong belief in the sense of family obligation and respect for their ancestors. For the main part, the offerings on the altars are red turtle cakes (Ang Ku) of various sizes made from flour and sugar.
For many Chinese, the turtle represents strength and is a symbol of longevity. Plus, red usually means good luck. Offering a red turtle is not only a good thing for their ancestors, but it also means that they're extending their own life.
The price of red turtle cake varies from THB 100 up to THB 15,000.
Red turtle cakes are made from glutinous rice flour mixed with syrup and the mixture stands for 5-7 days until the flour is sticky enough. Once the flour is set it is put into a wooden turtle-shaped mold and legs and a tail are added then it is painted with red food colouring. The turtle’s ‘shell’ is decorated with wishes, the name of the family or company and blessing quotations such as ‘healthy’, ‘happy’, ‘wealthy’. The wording is also made from sticky flour mixed with food colouring. Before the turtle cakes are collected, they are decorated with pink ribbons.
The turtles are taken to pay respect at the temple and when the ceremony is over, some families take their turtle home, while some donate the cakes to the temple. The temple will later fry them and distribute them to the needy.
Red turtles made from coloured rice and decorated with nuts and beans.
The Phuket Por Tor Hungry Ghost Festival is a 'must visit' celebration. You can find dates and street parade times on Phuket News Facebook.
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