Thailand's annual vegetarian festival kicked off this week, a time of the 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 during a 10-day period and began more than 150 years ago on the tourist island of Phuket, some 840 kilometers south of Bangkok.

Thailand is home to the largest overseas Chinese community in the world and the festival is a time when Thai-Chinese, often third or fourth generation who grew up in Thailand, observe 10 days of abstinence.