"Phuket Vegetarian Festival" is a festival to pay respect to the Nine Emperor Gods Festival (九皇爷/九皇星君/九皇大帝), a nine-day Taoist Celebration beginning on the eve of 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar, which is observed primarily in Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and also the Riau Islands.
Phuket Vegetarian Festival
In Thailand, this "Nine Emperor Gods" Festival is called Tesagan Gin Je 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 Chinese. It attracts crowds of spectators from Western Countries because of many of the unusual religious rituals that are performed. Many religious devotees will slash themselves with swords, pierce their cheeks with sharp objects and commit other painful acts.
"Extreme Piercing" is not only practiced in Phuket Vegetarian Festival("Nine Emperor Gods" Festival). It is often performed during celebrations of any Taoist Deities in Southeast Asian countries.
Many Western Folks also mistook that "Spiritual Extreme Piercing" is related to Buddhist Practice just because Thailand is a Buddhist Country. The truth is "Extreme Piercing Ritual" is originated from Folk Taoism of Fujian/Hokkien ( in Southern China).
"Spiritual Extreme Piercing" Ritual is later spread by the Southern Chinese, who migrate to Southeast Asian countries, such as Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and also the Riau Islands.
In "Religious Extreme Piercing", which metal poles and array of objects in varying sizes You can ever think of, are poked through the skins only when the mediums are possessed by spiritual entities or deities , therefore they don't remember anything or feel any pain at all, during the ceremony.
Extreme Body Piercing Event during a Taoist Festival in Singapore.
Many Western folks, kids and non-Taoists who don't understand the Taoist Faith always immediately condemn such practices as crazy ,evil, stupid etc.
WHO DO THEY WANT TO PIERCE THEIR OWN BODIES?
It is a direct way to answer to folks who are non-believers in spiritual power, who always like to ask "How To Prove that Gods exist or Spiritual Power is real?". By self-mutilation on their own bodies, yet without feeling any pain on the spiritual medium.. no one can ever say "this is fake" or "illusion trick". If Deities don't show You "Shit", You won't believe that Deities/Spirits exist or spiritual power do exist. After showing you "Shit", You immediately convinced that Spiritual Power is real. During Piercing Ritual, whenever there is piercing of sharp objects on the Cheeks and Skins, there will be no blood oozing out if ritual is properly done. This is because the deities or the spiritual power is protecting the human body. Try poking needles on any Human Beings and see what happen.
Slicing the tongues with Sharp Blades can be seen having blood oozing out from the tongue. The blood from the tongue is often used to smear on Yellow paper or cloth to create Taoist Talismans.
AFTER THE EXTREME PIERCING EVENTS, HOW ARE THESE MEDIUMS GOING TO LIVE WITH THE THICK SCARS AND TORN SKINS LATER?
After the deities/spiritual entities left the mediums and the mediums wake up from the trance, the torn skins almost completely healed within few hours and all scars are gone within 1 or 2 days. This is yet again, another way to show to human folks about the truth of spiritual Power.