Phuket Vegetarian Festival (part 2)

Posted by admin on September 29th, 2008 filed in Activities, Partying, The locals, Tourist tips

Once the doctor has made the incisions, different sharp objects – skewers, knives and even bike frames – are inserted into the spirit mediums’ cheeks. Many of the participants try hard to outdo each other by inserting other objects such as parasols, fishing rods and rifles.

The houses and outlets positioned along the parade place tables out front covered with Buddha images, joss sticks and baskets of fruit. The mediums are then invited to come and bless each person and their shops as they walk by.

The entranced mediums walk across the streets, while boys carrying miniature temples run alongside. The temples are stocked with fireworks that explode as spectators throw whole lit firecracker packs into them. Towels wrapped around the temple carriers’ bodies provide protection while photographers following the parade often compare the event with a battle zone.

Fire walking is one of the festival’s most popular activities. This event normally takes place near the ocean in the Saphan Hin stadium. For hours coals are flamed, turned and raked in preparation for teams of entranced spirits, who gyrate and crack whips encouraged by loud drumming, getting themselves ready for walking on the glowing embers.

As the week progresses, the street parades become wilder, the devotees more outlandish and the noise more thunderous. Groups of males swing machetes, spiked balls and hatchets across their backs, whipping their own bodies in a crazy frenzy. Females as well jump in the fray as the celebration draws to a close, performing similar facial shish kebab acts as the males.

The firework blasts are deafening on the last night and the whole town follows the route towards the ocean. The emperor gods’ shrines are loaded into ships and launched adrift while an enormous bonfire is lit on the coast. The descended ash engulfing the town is swept up the next morning. The town’s restaurants begin preparing meat dishes again, people wear their colourful clothes and Thailand’s largest island goes back to being a popular holiday destination.