THAILAND FESTIVALS AND EVENTS: Southern Thailand’s annual blood and gore event, aka the annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival, will be held between October 7 and 17th, with the highly photographed street possessions commencing on October 10.

The Nine Emperor Gods Festival, to give it its traditional (translated) Chinese name, will get underway at 5pm on October 7 with a lantern pole raising ceremony at nine Chinese temples, down which the 9 Emperor Gods are said to descend during the night.

The next two days sees various ceremonies and rituals held at the temples before the photographic event everyone waits for, the commencement of the daily Phuket Vegetarian Festival street parades through Phuket town.

Commencing at 7am daily, the processions weave an eclectic route (some up to 10km/ 6.2 miles) from one Chinese shrine to another, with lots of music, cymbal and drum banging, a gazillion exploding firecrackers, and of course the tranced devotees (Ma Song) with everything from steel spikes to swords piercing their faces.

Other “extraordinary” activities undertaken during the Phuket Vegetarian Festival include walking barefooted over glowing hot coals and ascending ladders with razor-sharp bladed rungs.

A part of Phuket culture since 1825, the week-long series of processions and accompanying sacred rituals that comprise the Phuket Vegetarian Festival are believed to bestow good fortune upon those who observe the rites, which includes believers observing a 10-day vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes of spiritual cleansing and merit-making.

Not to dissimilar to Muslim rites generally and special rites observed during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, devotee’s must also behave with good intent, cannot participate in sex or consume alcohol, and menstruating women are forbidden to attend any of the rituals.

While those observing the rights and rituals associated with the Phuket Vegetarian Festival have a penchant for skewered cheeks, noses, lips and more, those attending as observers will find plenty more skewers on offer, with these ones offering a broad range of delicious snacks.

As much as it is renown for the piercing acts performed by the Ma Song, the Phuket Vegetarian Festival is also renowned for the accompanying food festival which dishes up an almost limitless variety of vegan and vegetarian meals and snacks, including many using mock meat and seafood.

The 10-day Phuket Vegetarian Festival truly provides visitors with a total sensory experience and is one event not to be missed if possible.

For those wanting to be in the middle of things advance hotel bookings are strongly recommended. Any accommodation in Phuket Town will have you close to the action, with most of the shrines – Jui Tui, Bang Neow, Kathu, Sam Kong – in or near the town.

By John Le Fevre