Thai Piercing and Pain Festival (Warning: Graphic)
The Chinese community in Phuket, Thailand, has ended its period of abstinence with a festival featuring people who pierce their bodies and go through self-inflicted pain in the belief they are driving out their demons.
Thailand’s Chinese spend the ninth month of the lunar calendar abstaining from meat and various stimulants in the belief that doing so will bring them health and peace of mind.
Piercing and fire-walking are among the activities devotees undertake in what they hope will purge their bodies of evil spirits.
Thailand is host to many vegetarian festivals toward the end of October each year. The festivals get their name because so many participants have given up meat over the previous weeks.
Phuket’s vegetarian festival is one of the biggest in Thailand and has become a popular tourist attraction, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. About 10,000 onlookers are believed to have attended the festival finale over the weekend.
By Sun Tzu on 13-11-2006
Comment by [.dope.sick.]
July 19th, 2007 at 3:53 am
shit, and i thought plugging was bad….
Comment by emily
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:28 pm
this is so cool and weird and i love it LOL LOL HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA MY FRIEND thanks your GAY SORRY LOL
sorry
emily
Comment by rosey
August 12th, 2008 at 1:44 am
ya know, I’m spiritual too, but i dont really find it at all necessary to put swords in my face. gross. ………….. and ew. ow,
and ew again just because there are pictures. …….. did i mention ow?
Comment by Indra
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:00 pm
The hindoes in Singapore and Malaysia have something similair called Thaipusam.
Thaipusam celebrates the birthday of the Hindu deity Subramaniam. Hindus show the sincerity of their faith. It is a time for making and fulfilling vows. Devotees pray for divine help and make vows. When their prayers are answered, they fulfil their vows.
To do this, a devotee would pierce his cheeks, tongue, face or other suitable body parts with sharp objects. Next his friends or relatives load a *kavadi on his shoulder. Finally, in a trance-like manner, he goes on a 4km journey of faith.
Comment by Soul
July 3rd, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Wow…WTF….wow crazy…
Comment by two-faced joel
September 9th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
oh crap…poor them