Historical Background Context about the Worship of “Phra Kiu Ong Yah” in the Vegetarian Festival in Southern Thailand

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Phra Kiu Ong Yah serves as the principal deity in the Vegetarian Festival, playing a significant role in the ritual practices of Thai-Chinese communities, particularly in southern Thailand. Although prominently featured in folklore and ceremonial traditions, there remains a lack of systematic scholarly analysis linking the historical background of Phra Kiu Ong Yah to the origins and historical background context of the festival. This article aims to study the story of “Phra Kiu Ong Yah” based on the evidence from the stele inscription at the tomb of the Ming regent, Prince of Lu. Then, link the narrative to be communicated and the mission of resistance to the Qing dynasty and the restoration of the Ming dynasty carried out by secret societies. The analysis uses the couplets found in the Chinese shrine that has held the Vegetarian Festival tradition for nearly 200 years. In addition, the relationship between the worship of “Phra Kiu Ong Yah” and the Vegetarian Festival in southern Thailand is examined. Finally, insights are gained into who “Phra Kiu Ong Yah” is and how he is connected to this Vegetarian Festival in Southern Thailand.

Methods: The researcher uses historical research focusing on content analysis of the stele inscription from the tomb of the Ming regent, Prince of Lu, which refers to the Prince of Lu in the history of the Southern Ming dynasty. This includes analyzing the couplets found in the Chinese shrine that has held the Vegetarian Festival tradition for nearly 200 years, and examining the documents related to the worship of Phra Kiu Ong Yah at the Vegetarian Festival in southern Thailand. The findings are compiled and presented in the form of an analytical description.

Results: Phra Kiu Ong Yah, worshipped during the Vegetarian Festival in southern Thailand, can be traced back to Zhu Yihai, the prince of Lu, based on the analysis of the most evidence-based and credible legends. He was a descendant of the Southern Ming royal family and the 10th generation grandson of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming dynasty (Ming Taizu). This is the contextual background of the worship. However, most people understand Phra Kiu Ong Yah as a term for the Nine Emperor Gods, derived from the belief in the nine stars of the Big Dipper, which is at the forefront of the worship. In reality, the worship of Phra Kiu Ong Yah in its historical background context is a trace of secret societies in Southeast Asia whose mission was to overthrow the Qing dynasty and restore the rule of the Ming dynasty by the Han Chinese. By using the belief in the worship of the Big Dipper as a front, in order to escape the persecution by the Qing court.

Application of this study: This study result fills the gap in clarifying the question of who ‘Phra Kiu Ong Yah’ was by linking the historical background of the Southern Ming Dynasty with the worship of ‘Phra Kiu Ong Yah’ at the Vegetarian Festival in southern Thailand. The article provides valuable information for the study of the Vegetarian Festival in southern Thailand and can extend the analysis to the history of resistance to the Qing dynasty and the restoration of the Ming dynasty by Han Chinese groups who wanted to reclaim their independence.

Conclusions: The conclusion of this article shows that Phra Kiu Ong Yah has no connection with the meaning of the number 9. The association with the number 9 in communication was intended to evoke the homophonic meaning derived from the pronunciation of the number 9 in the Hokkien dialect, where the word for 9, ‘giu’ [giu3], sounds similar to ‘giu’ [giu5], meaning ‘help’. This was intended to convey the message of helping to restore the Ming dynasty from the Manchus. Furthermore, the content of the couplets found in the shrine confirms that the worship of Phra Kiu Ong Yah during the Vegetarian Festival does not derive its meaning from the foreground context of worshipping the nine stars of the Big Dipper or the nine ancient Chinese emperors. Rather, it is derived from the background context in which Phra Kiu Ong Yah is worshipped as the tutelary deity of the members of secret societies aiming to overthrow the Qing dynasty and restore the Ming dynasty. This deity is identified as Zhu Yihai, the prince of Lu, a descendant of the royal family of the Southern Ming.