23 OCTOBER 2012 - HAT YAI, SONGKHLA, THAILAND: Monks lead a special chanting service to mark the end of the Vegetarian Festival at Wat Ta Won Vararum, a Chinese Buddhist temple in Hat Yai. The Vegetarian Festival is celebrated in Thai-Chinese communities throughout Thailand. It is the Thai Buddhist version of the The Nine Emperor Gods Festival, a nine-day Taoist celebration celebrated in the 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar. For nine days, those who are participating in the festival dress all in white and abstain from eating meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy products. Vendors and proprietors of restaurants indicate that vegetarian food is for sale at their establishments by putting a yellow flag out with Thai characters for meatless written on it in red.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
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