: Phuket Island celebrates the Por Toh Festival with red turtle cake.//Photo by TAT, Phuket office
As Chinese communities worldwide observe the Hungry Ghost Festival, Old Phuket Town, which is home to many Chinese descendants, boasts distinctive rituals during this enigmatic Ghost Month. The celebration is worth ditching a tropical beach and daybed for a day of exploring century-old shrines and the mystique of the old town.
Known as Por Tor to Phuket residents, the Hungry Ghost Festival starts on the first day of the seventh lunar month in the Chinese calendar, which this year falls on August 30. Rooted in ancient Chinese beliefs, the festival has its origins in the traditional Ghost Month, when the spirits of ancestors and other restless spirits, return to roam the earth and visit relatives.
Set the table, pour the rice wine
The first day of the Por Tor Festival in Phuket begins…
