Photos show fire walks and vegetarian meals at the Nine Emperor Gods Festival

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Celebrations for the Nine Emperor Gods Festival took place across Southeast Asia, with ritual fire walks, dishes of vegetarian food and the burning of massive joss sticks.

The nine-day Taoist festival is widely observed by Chinese communities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Devotees often abide by a strict vegetarian diet during the event, which is known as the Vegetarian Festival in Thailand.

Events occurred throughout Southeast Asia — from capitals to tourist havens like Phuket, Thailand, and Penang, Malaysia — despite a thick layer of haze blanketing the region.

Taoism, or Daoism, is an ancient Chinese philosophical and religious tradition focused on living in harmony with the universe. It promotes well-known concepts of balance, like yin and yang.

Associated Press journalist Syawalludin Zain contributed to this report.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.