Phuket’s Hungry Ghost Festival Begins with Ceremonies Across Old Town

Residents of Phuket Town have begun this year’s Por Tor Festival, the island’s traditional celebration also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival. The festival started on August 25 and will continue through September 10, with most of the ceremonies taking place in Phuket Old Town.

The opening events were held on the afternoon of August 25 near the Thai Hua Museum on Krabi Road. Representatives of Phuket Town Municipality, the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation and the governor’s office attended the first ceremony.

The main Por Tor Festival dates and locations include:

• August 25 – Shrine near the Phuket Thai Hua Museum on Krabi Road

• August 27 – Shrine at Surin Circle

• August 28 – Shrine at the end of Krabi Road

• August 29–30 – Shrine at the central market on Ranong Road

• August 31–September 10 – Por Tor Kong Shrine on Soi Saksit

• September 1 – Phuket Thai Hua Museum on Krabi Road

• September 2 – Ao-Ke community on Takua Pa Road

The festival programme will also feature two major street processions. As part of the local tradition, both parades will begin at the Golden Dragon statue, whose divine birth was celebrated on August 24, one day before the festival officially opened.

The Por Tor street processions are scheduled for:

• August 29 – Morning procession from the Golden Dragon to the central market, travelling along Thalang Road, Phuket Road, Rassada Road and Ranong Road. The procession will begin at 11:30am.

• August 31 – Evening procession from the Golden Dragon to the Por Tor Kong Shrine, following Thalang Road, Phuket Road, Surin Circle, Phuket Road and Soi Saksit. It will start at 4:30pm.

Although the processions traditionally begin at the Golden Dragon, the festival itself is dedicated to Por Tor Kong, regarded as the ruler of the realm of the dead. His shrine is located in a small lane on Soi Saksit, opposite the Bang Niew Chinese Shrine.

According to Chinese beliefs, during the seventh month of the lunar calendar the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead opens, allowing ancestral spirits to return and visit their descendants. The spirits are believed to arrive hungry, so families prepare food and offerings for them.

One of the best-known symbols of the Por Tor Festival is ang ku — red, turtle-shaped pastries made from rice flour. They represent longevity, prosperity and protection and are offered to the spirits alongside roast duck, pork, fruit and strong spirits.