DEVOTEES parade through the streets with metal spikes piercing their faces for a gruesome ritual in Thailand.<\/p>\n
Others slice their tongues open with axes in a test of endurance at Phuket's annual Vegetarian Festival.<\/p>\n
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The holiday island's nine-day festival honours the Nine Emperor Gods of Taoist beliefs.<\/p>\n
Through the festivities, followers abstain from eating meat and having sex in an effort to cleanse their souls.<\/p>\n
Some also prove their devotion by taking part in ritualistic self-mutilation and pain trials.<\/p>\n
As well as piercing and cutting their faces, participants will run over coals and climb ladders with razors on the steps.<\/p>\n
The beating of drums helps them enter a trance like state in which they say they are possessed by gods and feel no pain.<\/p>\n
In previous years devotees have also pierced their cheeks with bizarre objects such as bicycles, guns and badminton rackets.<\/p>\n
Many believe that the pain from the piercings is a way to absorb the ills of their community and bring good luck.<\/p>\n
Phuket's gruesome tradition emerged in the 19th century when a group of Chinese singers were struck down with malaria while visiting.<\/p>\n
The musicians were healed when they began worshipping the Nine Emperor Gods and cleansed their bodies by avoiding meat and practising self-flagellation.<\/p>\n
This year's event has taken on extra significance because it the first festival allowed in Thailand since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
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Phuketairport is expected to receive nearly 15,000 domestic travellers on each of the nine days.<\/p>\n
Authorities wanted it to go ahead to boost the hard-hit economy on the island, which is heavily reliant on tourism.<\/p>\n
Tens of thousands of people there are unemployed after the virus forced visitors to stay away.<\/p>\n
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Devotees ram spikes through their faces and cut tongues with axes to appease the gods at Phuket Vegetarian - The Sun<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" DEVOTEES parade through the streets with metal spikes piercing their faces for a gruesome ritual in Thailand. Others slice their tongues open with axes in a test of endurance at Phuket's annual Vegetarian Festival. 9 9 9 The holiday island's nine-day festival honours the Nine Emperor Gods of Taoist beliefs Continue reading