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VEGETARIAN
FESTIVAL - The self-torturing vegans of Phuket.
 Eating
vegetables, thinking and living clean for a nine-day period
is all part of this festival also called The Nine Emperor God
(Kiu Ong Lah) festival. But the main part is when hundreds of
spirit mediums torture themselves by piercing sharp spears through
their cheeks and other parts of the body. This is believed to
avert evil spirits from the community. To the ear-splitting
sound of cymbals, drums and fire crackers, processions of worshippers
parade trough town. The whole nine-day spectacle is one of the
most bizarre sights in Asia. Both men and women take part in
this festival that was brought to Phuket by Chinese workers
in the beginning of the 19th century. Other religious activities
include fire-walking, knife-bladed ladder climbing and hot-oil
bathing.
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