Disclaimer: Images in this article contain scenes of self-harm for religious believes of depicted people’s own accord .
The Nine Emperor Gods Festival is an annual event held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar.
In Thailand, this festival is called thetsakan kin che (Thai: เทศกาลกินเจ), the Vegetarian Festival. It is celebrated throughout the entire country, but the festivities are at their height in Phuket, where about 35% of the population is Thai Chinese. It attracts crowds of spectators because of many of the unusual religious rituals that are performed.
It is believed that the vegetarian festival and its accompanying sacred rituals bestow good fortune upon those who religiously observe this rite. During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry strictly observe a 10-day vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes of spiritual cleansing and merit-making. Sacred rituals are performed at various Chinese shrines and temples and aesthetic displays such as walking barefooted over hot coals and ascending ladders with bladed rungs are performed by entranced devotees known as “Ma Song”.
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011 – Decorated table with special offerings to priests who believed posessed with holy spirits.
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011 – Traditional procession with elements of self-harming and religious rituals of blessing local people by special priests called mahsongs.
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011 – Spectators watching procession of devotees during annual Phuket Vegetarian festival celebration.
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011 – Statues of the chinese gods on the shrine at Wat Bangneaw temple on Phuket.
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011 – Traditional procession with elements of self-harming and religious rituals of blessing local people by special priests called mahsongs.
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011 – Decorated table with special offerings to priests who believed posessed with holy spirits.- Decorated table with special offerings to priests who believed posessed with holy spirits.
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011 – Spectators watching procession of devotees during annual Phuket Vegetarian festival celebration.
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011 – Traditional procession with elements of self-harming and religious rituals of blessing local people by special priests called mahsongs.
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011 – Traditional procession with elements of self-harming and religious rituals of blessing local people by special priests called mahsongs.
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011 – Spectators watching procession of devotees during annual Phuket Vegetarian festival celebration.
PHUKET/THAILAND – OCTOBER 2 2011
7.951933
98.338088
Phuket, Thailand
Like this:
Like Loading...
Documenting the world 