Thai locals kicked off the country's annual Vegetarian Festival with a bamboo pole-raising ceremony at a shrine.

Villagers in white, along with Ong Ear shrine president Chaopho Muen Ram, trekked to a forest in Trang province on September 25 to cut down a tall bamboo tree to be used as a 'Go Teng' pole for the ceremonies.

Traditional instruments are played while the bamboo is chopped down and carried back to the Ong Ear shrine, where locals dressed in similar white garb waited to observe the rites.

The pole-raising is believed to be an invitation for angels and gods to descend into the bamboo bridging the land and sky, bringing good fortune with them to bless the 10-day festivities.

The 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.