PAIN AS PRAYER

Phuket (Thailand), October 2024

The Vegetarian Festival, also known as "Tesagan Gin Je" or the "Nine Emperor Gods Festival," originated in the 19th century when a group of Chinese immigrants in Phuket fell seriously ill.

Believing their illness was the result of having broken religious principles and lost spiritual connection, they adopted a strict vegetarian diet and practiced purification rituals to restore balance.

They eventually recovered, and since then, the festival has become an annual event—seen as an act of devotion in the pursuit of health, purification, and prosperity.

Today, the festival is marked by extreme acts of spiritual cleansing and penance, including firewalking and other intense displays of faith.

Among the most striking rituals are those in which participants pierce their cheeks and other parts of the body with sharp objects as a demonstration of devotion and resistance to pain - believed to be a sign of spiritual protection.

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