Religious devotees in Thailand celebrate the ‘vegetarian festival’ with this bizzare tradition. The devotees not only follow a strict vegetarian diet but also pierce their bodies with swords, guns, bikes and knives and run on a bed of burning coal.
Devotees also abstain from sexual intercourse during this period. It is believed that the devotees piercing themselves stay in a trance and experience no pain.
The festival was first celebrated 150 years ago in Thailand’s Kathu district. The tradition was brought into Thailand by the Chinese mine workers after beating an epidemic with the help of ‘Chinese Gods’.
Video: Jorge Silva
Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam
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