Taoist worshippers impaled their faces with an array of odd objects – including swords and flower stems – during an annual vegetarian festival on the Thai island of Phuket.
Many devotees attending the Nine Emperor Gods festival, which is celebrated for nine days on the first evening of the ninth Chinese Lunar month, slash themselves with swords and pierce their cheeks with sharp skewers for the festival.
They also commit other painful acts like walking over burning coals to prove their devotion.
A devotee of a Chinese shrine pushes multiple knives and sickles through his lips and cheeks during a procession for the annual Vegetarian Festival in Phuket on Thursday
A Taoist man slashes six knives through his cheek for the religious event, which is also known as the Nine Emperor Gods festival
A devotee of the Chinese Jui Tui shrine with his face pierced with guns take part in a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket Island
The streets were alive as firecrackers exploded and traditional music blared from speakers. A man can be seen above making laceration on his tongue with an axe
In a procession to mark the Vegetarian Festival on Thursday, devotees were seen with elaborately decorated skewers, swords, knives, and even the roots of plants piercing their cheeks and mouths.
The streets were alive as firecrackers exploded and traditional music blared from speakers. There were hundreds of participants marching down the Phuket streets to showcase a dizzying variety of piercings.
One man managed to put almost a dozen knife blades through his right cheek, while another held a pole with a deity that went through his lower lip.
Devotees of the Chinese Jui Tui shrine with his face pierced with chain take part in a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket Island
This woman can be seen skewering herself with a number of devotional skewers. The festival begins on the first evening of the ninth lunar month and lasts for nine days, with many religious devotees slashing themselves with swords, piercing their cheeks with sharp objects and committing other painful acts to purify themselves, taking on the sins of the community.
Another devotee impaled her cheeks on devotional skewers. Some individuals work themselves into a trance in order to numb the pain of sticking the sharp objects through the mouth
Badminton rackets, umbrellas and skewers were among the bizarre objects devotees scored through their cheeks in Phuket
Along with a large Chinese community, many Chinese tourists come to Phuket to see the Taoist procession
Skewers connected to model ships, a bouquet of orchids and pieces of fruit were also put to use.
Some individuals work themselves into a trance in order to numb the pain of sticking the sharp objects through the mouth.
Stops along the way offer the attendees food, water and sweets.
Some devotees will work themselves into a trance before impaling their cheeks with the objects. This woman has pinned herself with fans at the end of long skewers
Along with the mutilations, attendees set firecrackers alight (pictured) and walked over hot coals in Phuket to purify themselves
The celebration dates back to 1825, according to local folklore, when a visiting Chinese opera troupe fell ill and they are believed to have adopted a vegetarian diet and carried out Taoist rituals in an effort to improve their health
Among the bizarre objects, a model ship was plunged into this man’s cheek with its weight too heavy for the one man to carry alone
The reason for the brutal lacerations are that each is supposed to mark a sacrifice which returns a favour to the community
The reason for the brutal lacerations are that each is supposed to mark a sacrifice.
It is a purification ritual so they can take on the sins of others and return a favour to the community in which they live.
The celebration dates back to 1825, according to local folklore, when a visiting Chinese opera troupe fell ill.
This woman’s skewer is topped with a figure of the head of a god and on the other side, a flower. Devotees pierce themselves with sharp objects to take on the sins of the community
The festival is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of tourists to the southern Thai island, according to Kanokkittika Kritwutikon, the Phuket tourism authority director
Participants in Phuket – which has a sizeable Chinese population – also have a bounty of vegetarian food options to choose from, as many vendors switch out meat offerings
Nine Emperor Gods festival, which is celebrated for nine days on the first evening of the ninth Chinese Lunar month
They are believed to have adopted a vegetarian diet and carried out Taoist rituals in an effort to improve their health.
The festival is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of tourists to the southern Thai island, according to Kanokkittika Kritwutikon, the Phuket tourism authority director.
The influx is a temporary boon for local hoteliers and businesses who are wrestling with a rare slump in Thailand’s booming tourism industry.
Participants in Phuket – which has a sizeable Chinese population – also have a bounty of vegetarian food options to choose from, as many vendors switch out meat offerings.