Mattison Boveri is a junior currently studying abroad in Thailand through a fully funded scholarship from the U.S. State Department. Her weekly observations will be posted in her column in The Forest Scout, “Half the World Away.”

In honor of World Vegan Day, on November 1st, I will share a little look into veganism in Thailand!

Being a vegan in Thailand is highly respected due to its connection with Buddhism and honoring all living things. Thailand is well known as a vegan-friendly travel destination but it is THE place to be if you are a vegan, or just looking to try delicious vegan foods, during one specific week in October.

From the 19th to 28th of October, 2017 was the Vegetarian Festival in Thailand otherwise known เทศกาลกินเจ (tesagan gin jay). For a period of nine days during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar, Thais with and without Chinese ancestry eat vegan food. Although it is called the Vegetarian Festival, people abstain from eating meat, fish, dairy, eggs, and other animal products. Instead they use tofu, mushrooms, and powder to mimic the appearance of meat or just stick to vegetables all together.

What has surprised me the most is the widespread popularity of this event. A popular ice cream franchise called Swensen’s releases three flavors specifically for the festival. The Costco of Thailand, Makro, had special pastries and soy proteins that were vegan. Finding vegan food during this festival is easy, just look for a yellow flag with a red “17” on it. This is the symbol for เจ which means vegan.

In the U.S. most meals do not seem complete with an animal product included. This is no different in Thailand. At school, I am hard pressed to find a dish that doesn’t have meat in it let alone no eggs. So the fact that a large portion of the country avoids eating meat, eggs, and milk for this festival is astonishing. If this was attempted in the United States I am not sure how many Americans would be able to cut out those products.

In America’s defense, the religious reason driving the festival is not present in as large quantities in the U.S. However, all religions teach that you should not kill. As a global society, we put our blinders on and turn away from the slaughter of animals everyday for food. This festival brings that to light and challenges people to cleanse themselves spiritually.

In Phuket, an island in southern Thailand, this festival is accompanied by parades of people with swords through their cheeks and various other body piercings. I would not recommend anyone to do that… but I would encourage people to implement meals or days of tesagan gin jay. I believe it is a unique and meaningful festival and would be worthwhile sharing with other cultures.