Extreme piercing, hot coal walking and spirit trances are staples of Thailand’s Vegetarian Festival [GRAPHIC CONTENT]

Oct 1, 2014

Extreme piercing, hot coal walking and spirit trances are staples of Thailand’s Vegetarian Festival [GRAPHIC CONTENT]

Jerry Jackson 0 Comment World

Ritual Vegetarianism in Phuket, Thailand traces its roots back to the early 1800’s. The annual festival begins on the first evening of the ninth lunar month and lasts for nine days. Participants in the festival perform acts of body piercing as a means of shifting evil spirits from individuals onto themselves and bring the community good luck. The ritualized mutilation is performed at a local Buddhist shrine under a trance-like state and is careful supervised.

: Firecrackers explode as devotees of the Chinese Jui Tui Shrine return the statue to the shrine after a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket September 30, 2014. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

: A devotee of the Chinese Jui Tui Shrine walks with her cheek pierced by a metal rod ahead of a street procession during the annual Vegetarian Festival in the southern Thai town of Phuket. (Christophe Archambault/Getty Images)

: A devotee (L) of the Chinese Jui Tui Shrine works himself into the state of trance before a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket September 30, 2014. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

: A devotee walks across hot coals outside Ban Tha Rue Shrine during fire walking ceremonies on September 29, 2014 in Phuket, Thailand. Ritual Vegetarianism in Phuket Island traces its roots back to the early 1800’s. The annual festival begins on the first evening of the ninth lunar month and lasts for nine days. Participants in the festival perform acts of body piercing as a means of shifting evil spirits from individuals onto themselves and bring the community good luck. The ritualized mutilation is performed at a local Buddhist shrine under a trance-like state and is carefully supervised. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

: Vegetarian festival devotee climbs on blade stairs at the Bang Neow shrine on September 30, 2014 in Phuket, Thailand. (Borja Sanchez-Trillo/Getty Images)

: Vegetarian festival devotees of Jui Tui shrine parade through the streets as firecrackers go off on September 30, 2014 in Phuket, Thailand. (Borja Sanchez-Trillo/Getty Images)

: A devotee of the Chinese Bang Neow Shrine has metal rods inserted into his cheeks ahead of a street procession during the annual Vegetarian Festival in the southern Thai town of Phuket on September 29, 2014. (Christophe Archambault/Getty Images)

: People take pictures as a devotee of the Chinese Bang Neow Shrine is helped to insert more spikes through his cheeks before a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket September 29, 2014. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

: Vegetarian festival devotees clasp their hands in prayer before the Jui Tui shrine parades through the streets on September 29, 2014 in Phuket, Thailand. (Borja Sanchez-Trillo/Getty Images)

: A devotee is pictured in a trance while others (unseen) climb ladders made of metal blades during the annual vegetarian festival in central Phuket late September 30, 2014. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

: A devotee of the Ban Tha Rua Chinese shrine with needles pierced through her arm takes a part in a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket September 28, 2014. The festival, featuring face-piercing, spirit mediums and strict vegetarianism celebrates the local Chinese community’s belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar will help them obtain good health and peace of mind. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

: A devotee of the Chinese Jui Tui Shrine turns away from exploding firecrackers during a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket September 30, 2014. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

: A devotee of the Chinese Jui Tui Shrine with spikes pieced through his mouth and skin takes part in a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket September 30, 2014. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

: Barbed wire and ropes are pierced through the cheeks of a devotee of the Chinese Jui Tui Shrine during a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket September 30, 2014. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

: Firecrackers explode as devotees of the Chinese Jui Tui Shrine return the statue to the shrine after a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket September 30, 2014. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

: Vegetarian festival devotee with his kid and an angry bird baloon offer prayers at the Bang Neow shrine before a climbing on blades stairs performance on September 30, 2014 in Phuket, Thailand. (Borja Sanchez-Trillo/Getty Images)

: A devotee of the Chinese Jui Tui Shrine with umbrella pieced through his cheek walks during a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket September 30, 2014. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

: A devotee of the Chinese Jui Tui Shrine is assisted while carrying a model of a ship pierced through his cheek during a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket September 30, 2014. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

: A devotee of the Chinese Bang Neow Tui Shrine has his cheek pierced by a metal rod ahead of a street procession during the annual Vegetarian Festival in the southern Thai town of Phuket. There is no pain once the gods enter your body, said Jampen Deebuk, after puncturing the cheeks of a young devotee with metal skewers at Thailand’s bloody vegetarian festival. (Christophe Archambault/Getty Images)

: A devotee of the Chinese Bang Neow Shrine with needles inserted into his face waits for the start of a street procession during the annual Vegetarian Festival in the southern Thai town of Phuket on September 29, 2014. (Christophe Archambault/Getty Images)

: A devotee of the Chinese Jui Tui Shrine walks with his cheeks pierced by drills during a street procession during the annual Vegetarian Festival in the southern Thai town of Phuket on September 30, 2014. (Christophe Archambault/Getty Images)

: Devotees of the Chinese Bang Neow Shrine with metal rods inserted into their tongues take part in a street procession during the annual Vegetarian Festival in the southern Thai town of Phuket on September 29, 2014. (Christophe Archambault/Getty Images)

: Devotees of the Chinese Bang Neow Shrine protect themselves as fire-crackers explode over idols they carry on a palanquin in a street procession during the annual Vegetarian Festival in the southern Thai town of Phuket on September 29, 2014. During the festival, which begins on the first evening of the ninth lunar month and lasts nine days, religious devotees slash themselves with swords, pierce their cheeks with sharp objects and commit other painful acts to purify themselves, taking on the sins of the community. (Christophe Archambault/Getty Images)

: Vegetarian festival devotees of Jui Tui shrine parade through the streets on September 30, 2014 in Phuket, Thailand. (Borja Sanchez-Trillo/Getty Images)

: Vegetarian festival devotees of Jui Tui shrine parade through the streets on September 30, 2014 in Phuket, Thailand. (Borja Sanchez-Trillo/Getty Images)

: Vegetarian festival devotees of Jui Tui shrine parade through the streets as firecrackers go off on September 29, 2014 in Phuket, Thailand. (Borja Sanchez-Trillo/Getty Images)

: A devotee of the Chinese Jui Tui Shrine with two umbrellas pieced through his cheeks walks during a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket September 30, 2014. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

: A devotee of the Chinese Bang Neow Shrine with spikes attached to plastic pistols pierced through his cheeks takes part in a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket September 29, 2014. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

: A devotee lights candles at a Chinese shrine during the annual vegetarian festival in Bangkok late September 24, 2013. The festival celebrates the local Chinese community’s belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar will help them obtain good health and peace of mind. (Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

: A vegetarian festival devotee parades through the streets on September 29, 2014 in Phuket, Thailand. (Borja Sanchez-Trillo/Getty Images)

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