Phuket Series #05: Vegetarian Festival

Images like the one above don't get out of your mind easily.



What more when it's not pins that are sticking through but pick-axes?

That's one can see at the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. This is an annual affair that starts on the first day of the ninth lunar month and continues until the ninth. The different temples will have street procession through Phuket town and the biggest procession is the one staged by the biggest Chinese Temple here called Jui Teng.

So on a hot Saturday afternoon, I was there along with thousand others to witness the procession that lasted from early morning about 8plus until early afternoon. The morning will see the devotees getting ready at the temple. I wasn't in time for the ceremonial bits but it's got to do with the devotees getting into a trance state before being pierced, possessed or something like that.



The town was out in full force. Many were preparing to let off firecrackers as the devotees or chariots carrying the deities and gods went pass.



Some would kneel down as certain chariots went pass. Probably a high ranking god or something.

The locals set up altars with offerings of wine, fruits, sweets because they also sought blessings from the procession. Some of the devotees will stop by altars set up by the locals and bless them.

Males were not the only ones involved. Females were in the procession too. But the more extreme stuff were by men.

The girl in the red cheongsam was damn chio....she's probably going to be wedded to some deity of god or something. Symbolic I think. Not legal binding. Hahaha.... Young girls formed part of the procession too.



The guy with the green umbrella pierced through his cheek...well, judging from the angle, he wasn't doing it to shade himself.



Many had swords (Japanese Samurai type) pierced through their cheeks.



Some had knives.



Poles....



Even small plants...

Barbed wires could be used for piercing as well as wrapping.

Everyday objects like what appears to be oven skewers can be used too! I wondered if the things they used for piercing reflected their occupation.....

Like clockwise from top left: dumbbells = gym instructor, lampshade = lightings salesman, warship = navy man, flowers = florist, electrical cables = electrician, badminton racquets = badminton player, skewer with apple at the end = fruits vendor, engine parts = car mechanic.

These two above sell tyre rims?

I wondered what was going through their minds when they inflicted such damage to their bodies. I'm sure it's all spiritual and stuff....but I caught one of them (I'm giving him a fictitious name, Rachat) who seemed to have second thoughs....see below:



*I do apologise about the resolution of the pictures. It speeds things up for me though.

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#01: Introduction
#02: General
#03: Food
#04: Island Tour
#05: Vegetarian Festival
#06: Muay Thai
#07: Firecracker Special
#08: Afterthoughts