Bloody Vegetarian Festival in Thailand
The Festival of the Nine Imperial Gods is a nine—day Taoist event held every year in Southeast Asia in the ninth month of the lunar calendar. In Thailand, for example, it is also called "Tettsakan Kin Che" (Tesagan Gin Je), or Vegetarian Festival.
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According to the legend of the festival, one day the Chinese who seized these lands began to die from a merciless epidemic. But after switching to a vegetarian diet and praying to the nine gods, people began to heal miraculously.
As part of the modern ceremony, people switch to a vegetarian diet and strictly adhere to the 10 principles of the festival. Among them is abstinence from carnal pleasures and alcohol, as well as the rule to wear only white clothes.
Among other things, the festival is famous for its practice of piercing the body with sharp objects. Photographer Giselle Nasstasia captured the so—called "masong" (masong) in her pictures - people who pierce their cheeks, tongues and other body parts.
The essence of the ritual is that with the help of such actions, the participants allegedly invite the spirits of the nine gods to possess their bodies.
The belief says that piercing the body helps people to find peace and tranquility in their minds, as well as to get excellent health. It is believed that these actions turn the sins of the community into the sins of specific people. Perhaps these are quite altruistic actions.
Keywords: Vegetarianism | Taoism | Knives | Phuket | Thailand | Tradition