Give up meat and sex for Thai festival 'ticket to heaven'

Vendors prepare meat substitute for vegetarian food at a market in Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand, Oct 14, 2015. Photo: Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha

Thailand's annual vegetarian festival kicked off last week, a time of year when the Southeast Asian country's meat-heavy dishes get a vegetarian makeover.

Known locally as "Teskan Gin Jay", or vegan festival, it takes place over 10 days and began over 150 years ago on the tourist island of Phuket, some 840km south of Bangkok.