Come out of Your Shell at the Por Tor Festival in Phuket

HERTFORD, England, May 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Experience the rich cultural heritage of Phuket by visiting the glorious Por Tor Festival with Freedom Asia

Phuket is the largest and most popular island in Thailand. As the cosmopolitan hub of the country, there are literally hundreds of festivals and events that celebrate every facet of religion, faith, and race. By offering unique and quirky experiences, tourists flock to these celebrations to observe the cultural richness of Thailand's past traditions.

So for adventure-craving travellers looking to experience one of Thailand's festivals first-hand, search for your ideal Phuket holidays with Freedom Asia. Their travel experts have visited Asia on a number of occasions, and can help you create the perfect individual holiday.

One festival that Freedom Asia encourages tourists to visit is the wonderful Por Tor Festival. Celebrated at the Por Tor Kong Shrine in the Bang Neaw district, the Por Tor Festival is an important event for all ethnic Chinese in Phuket, as they wish to appease the ghosts of their hungry ancestors who they believe are released from hell for a month.

During the festivities, special foods, flowers, and candles are presented to the ancestors alters. These offerings generally include dishes of steamed pork, duck, and chicken, which represent the wish for prosperity and plenitude. Colourful turtle shaped cakes are also made and put on display. As turtles symbolise longevity, worshippers believe that making such an offering will bring them long life.

Held for a month across July and August, travellers should not miss the opportunity to attend this festival when on their holidays in Phuket. To keep tourists occupied, stalls are set up featuring local games such as darts, shooting galleries, and fishing games. Pop-up shops sell souvenirs, and with all this focus on food, there is plenty of it also on offer including those delicious turtle cakes!  

So if you are not sure where to go for your holidays, Phuket may be your ideal destination. With its beautiful scenery, quaint old towns, beautifully decorate temples, and culturally significant festivals, start planning your perfect trip to Phuket with Freedom Asia!

About Freedom Asia

Freedom Asia was founded on the desire to create authentic, personal, and great value trips to the many beautiful countries of Asia. They constantly aim to provide their customers with the ideal holiday by choosing the exact accommodation, tours, and activities that their customers are looking for, and blending them together for the perfect travelling experience.  Freedom Asia realise that price is important to their customers, so their buyers negotiate directly with suppliers in the Far East, and select the best products in their class.

SOURCE Freedom Asia