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As Phuket's famous Vegetarian Festival this year marks 200 years since its founding, elders at the festival's birthplace, Kathu Shrine, say the nine-day celebration has drifted from its origins as a ritual of healing and moral purification.

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“The festival began as gratitude, not entertainment,” Prasert Khaokitpaisan, President of Kathu Shrine, who has also served previously as Mayor of Kathu, told The Phuket News. “People saw their prayers answered. They made a vow to continue the tradition, and that vow has lasted 200 years. However, In the past 20 or 30 years, the elements used by spirit mediums (‘mah song’) have become more and more extreme. “Tourists expect something extreme, so some mediums push beyond what our ancestors intended. But this is not the true spirit of the Vegetarian Festival,” he added. Mr Prasert said that a concerted push for the 200th anniversary this y