Devotees visit temples to pray at the start of the Vegetarian Festival in the Chinatown area of Bangkok, Thailand, today.

The annual festival this year falls on September 25 to October 4, with flamboyant street processions - featuring performers committing self-mutilation to prove their devotion - making a return as pandemic curbs in the country have eased.

During the celebration, locals abstain from eating meat, animal-derived products, and pungent vegetables like garlic and onion believing the practice would purge impurities from the mind and soul.

Instead, meatless dishes like spring rolls, green curry, soup, and fried rice are sold in street stalls for hungry tourists to fill their stomachs.

The event last year was dampened by Covid-19 restrictions, but this year, it is seen to generate tourism revenue as holidaymakers are expected to make a visit, local officials said.