A very gory vegetarian festival

RB and I just returned from two weeks in Thailand. We saw and did the things one does there – snorkeling, hiking, riding elephants, kayaking, visiting temples, that sort of thing. But we also witnessed something most unexpected – something we happened to read about in a magazine and rerouted our trip especially to see.

It’s the annual Vegetarian Festival in Phuket, a 10-day celebration in which devotees abstain from alcohol, sex and eating meat for purposes of purification. The celebration dates back to 1825, when members of a visiting Chinese opera troupe were stricken with an unknown disease, then miraculously recovered after swearing off meat in honor of the emperor gods. Since then, the people of Phuket honor those gods by recreating the purification rituals.

But they’ve added a few new rituals, too, and it’s these that draw curious onlookers to Phuket. I’m not sure how it’s related to the opera troupe, but some devotees undertake some rather extreme self-mortification. They walk on hot coals, bathe in hot oil, climb ladders made of blades, and – the part we saw – slice their cheeks open, insert large objects, and parade through town, ostensibly in a trance that allows them to feel no pain.

We read about this ritual and decided it was one of those things you’ll never see anywhere else, so we had to go see it. We arrived in Phuket Town early one morning, and joined white-clad devotees on the street just as the parade began. At first, it seemed like a regular parade, with pickup trucks and marchers carrying flags and small replicas of the Chinese emperor gods.

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But then, the first self-mutilated devotees appeared. Photos to come – and fair warning: They’re not for the squeamish.

The first devotee we saw was a woman with a small skewer through her cheek.

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This was a relatively delicate display, compared to what was coming:

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Each marcher had friends / assistants marching with him, to wipe blood and drool from his mouth. Three men walked together with a chain strung through their cheeks:

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One of the chain guys had the most injured-looking cheek. Most were clean cuts, but his was not:

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From here, the items got larger and more bizarre:

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The parade ended as quickly as it had begun, and RB and I just looked at each other in astonishment, then slunk off to get some breakfast. It was truly one of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen. Why self-mutilation? Why only through the cheeks? I still don’t know. Most of the people didn’t seem to be experiencing pain, and some even seemed rather ecstatic. As for us, we chewed our breakfast very carefully.

17 responses to “A very gory vegetarian festival”

  1. lane says:

    as Ren the cartoon character would exclaim. “I think I’m goinik to be SICK!”

  2. ScottyGee says:

    I found what they actually put through their cheeks to be the most surprising part: Steel cables? Bolt Cutters? A gun barrel? I was expecting something more 19th C., like swords and lances.

    But really, is any of this any more bizarre than believing that one is communing with Jesus through eating his body and drinking his blood?

  3. Dave says:

    Wow wow wow. Ow.

  4. J-Man says:

    It looks like a machismo competition, more than a devotional. Very odd.

  5. Mark says:

    I wonder what happens at the meat-eaters festival.

  6. Natasha says:

    It’s believed that those, who partake in piercing and hot coal walking, act as the gods’ mediums and invoke them. They are protected by the gods, and especially blessed with health and good fortune.

    Cool post. I heard their vegetarian dishes are very good. Did you guys have a chance to try anything?

  7. Marleyfan says:

    Mark kills me…

  8. A Nony Mouse says:

    It is believed that those, who make comments, about how much they know about ANYTHING, like “I’ve researched several techniques of levitation in the past,” are not protected, by the gods. They are perceived by others as ridiculous, unbearably narcissistic and annoying. They are not protected by the gods. They are laughed at for their folly.

    Comments. I heard they can cause a lot of annoyance . Did you have a chance to try thinking about this?

  9. Rogan says:

    I once bit my cheek before. It hurt. This looks much worse. I wonder what they do with those holes in their face at the end of the day. I’d be interested in seeing them all down at the pub after the festival ends. Total dribble-fest.

  10. Jamie says:

    Hi there. Yes, it’s rather a shock if you have not seen it before… I have been in Phuket 10 years. You can find lots of information abou the vegetarian festival on my blog – latest photos here:

    http://jamie-monk.blogspot.com/2009/10/vegetarian-festival-procession-photos.html

    Cheers!
    Jamie
    Phuket

  11. swells says:

    At the risk of seeming like a ninny, I might be ready for a smackdown moratorium to counterbalance the “Great post!” embargo of a few years back.

  12. swells says:

    Not that I haven’t been guilty of both myself.

  13. LP says:

    2: I’m with you on that. Lots of bizarre rituals out there, everywhere.

    4: Yes, I thought that too! Seemed like all these young guys were trying to outdo each other with choice of implement.

    6: OK, so I get the notion that showing you are impervious to pain is showing that you are divinely protected. What I don’t get is, why through the cheeks only? Other cultures that practice this kind of self-mutilation put the skewers all over the body. I thought the fact that it was only through the cheeks was odd.

    10: thanks for the link. But warning: anyone who was even mildly skeeved by my photos should NOT click on this blog link.

    11: Agreed. Can’t we all just get along?

  14. Rachel says:

    Now you tell me, LP. Jamie’s photos–which I peeped during lunch–made me very glad to be eating a falafel sandwich, but sad to be eating anything at all. Hooray for the vegetarian festival! Hooray for your safe travels!

  15. LP says:

    Oops, forgot to respond to Natasha’s questions: Yes, we did try some vegetarian fare, and it was delicious. There were tons of vendors, and every conceivable kind of food, much of it fried! So, although it’s a vegetarian festival, if you lived and ate there every day you’d end up weighing 400 pounds anyway.

  16. Jeremy says:

    13: “warning: anyone who was even mildly skeeved by my photos should NOT click on this blog link.”

    Wait, was anyone not at least mildly skeeved by the photos? I’m not usually remotely squeamish, but my word…

  17. Natasha says:

    #8 Your comment does not hold criticism (which I respect as everyone is entitled to their opinion), but rather unjustified and bitter bulling. I don’t accept bulling. However, I am not going to punch you back, because you are already on the ground. Next time, if you have something to say to me, be noble and use your name. I don’t play without dignity. This is the one and only instance, when I respond to you under such circumstances.

    LP, I don’t know why through the cheeks. Maybe a practical purpose: where else on your body can you stick so much stuff and still manage to parade the streets. I’ve seen some other piercings on Jamie’s link (Thanks Jamie!), but they were not nearly as notable as the ones through the cheeks.