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BLOODIED AND SCARRED

Grisly aftermath of Phuket’s notorious Vegetarian Festival during which participants shove massive metal objects through their FACE

The gruesome ritual of impaling parts of the body drew more than a little blood and left a few scars

THESE are the shocking images showing the bloody injuries and scars left following the aftermath of a gruesome religious festival in Thailand this week.

Swords, musical instruments, bicycles and even a model boat were among the bizarre array of objects pushed through people’s cheeks for the annual Vegetarian Festival.

A vegetarian festival devotee is been carried to get medical attention
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A vegetarian festival devotee is been carried to get medical attentionCredit: Getty Images

Devotee Chinese shrines self-mutalted with weapons and paraded their gruesome piercings to prove their abstinence from eating meat during the nine-day-long event on the Thai island of Phuket.

But when it came to removing the impaled objects, it not only drew a lot of blood but left a few scars.

Throughout the week followers show the strength of their beliefs by taking part in ritualistic self-mutilation and pain trials.

A woman being treated after piercing himself with a metal spear
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A woman being treated after piercing himself with a metal spearCredit: Getty Images
A man has just had his face piercings extracted
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A man has just had his face piercings extractedCredit: Alamy
Following the street procession, a man shows off his scars left on his cheek from his piercings
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Following the street procession, a man shows off his scars left on his cheek from his piercingsCredit: LightRocket
Participants in the festival perform acts of body piercing as a means of shifting evil spirits from individuals onto themselves
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Participants in the festival perform acts of body piercing as a means of shifting evil spirits from individuals onto themselvesCredit: Getty Images
The Vegetarianism ritual in Phuket Island traces its roots back to the early 1800
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The Vegetarianism ritual in Phuket Island traces its roots back to the early 1800Credit: Getty Images
A devotee of the Chinese Samkong Shrine walks while cutting his tongue with an axe
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A devotee of the Chinese Samkong Shrine walks while cutting his tongue with an axeCredit: Reuters
He then walks with a bleeding tongue after cutting it
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He then walks with a bleeding tongue after cutting itCredit: Reuters
Scars from his self-inflicted piercings
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Scars from his self-inflicted piercingsCredit: Alamy
Medics were on hand to treat participants taking part in the gruesome festival
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Medics were on hand to treat participants taking part in the gruesome festivalCredit: Getty Images
Men in Trance wait for their turn to walk over the blazing hot fire in the bizarre and extreme Vegetarian festival
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Men in Trance wait for their turn to walk over the blazing hot fire in the bizarre and extreme Vegetarian festivalCredit: Alamy

These include running over hot coals and piercing their bodies with a bizarre– and stomach-turning – variety of objects.

At a temple on the outskirts of Phuket’s main town yesterday, dozens of people put themselves to the test.

Decked out in flowing robes they worked themselves into a trance-like frenzy against a constant backdrop of beating drums – something they say allows them to feel no pain.

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Phuket boasts a sizeable Chinese population, most of whom trace their roots back to Hokkien-speaking areas in southeast China.

Local folklore has it that the island started celebrating the vegetarian festival after 1825 when a mysterious illness struck a group of visiting opera singers from China.

Taoists in Phuket celebrate the festival of the Nine Emperor Gods by enduring a series of stomach-churning pain trials
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Taoists in Phuket celebrate the festival of the Nine Emperor Gods by enduring a series of stomach-churning pain trialsCredit: Getty Images
Followers show their devotion by piercing their faces and pushing a bizarre range of objects through their cheeks
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Followers show their devotion by piercing their faces and pushing a bizarre range of objects through their cheeksCredit: Getty Images
Devout believers also abstain from having sex, boozing and gambling during the nine day-long festival
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Devout believers also abstain from having sex, boozing and gambling during the nine day-long festivalCredit: Getty Images
A devotee of the Nine Emperor Gods is seen with a sword pierced through his tongue
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A devotee of the Nine Emperor Gods is seen with a sword pierced through his tongueCredit: Getty Images
Devotees have their faces pierced with a large metal spike, as medics watch on
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Devotees have their faces pierced with a large metal spike, as medics watch onCredit: Getty Images
A bizarre range of objects are then threaded through the holes in their faces
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A bizarre range of objects are then threaded through the holes in their facesCredit: Getty Images
A devotee of the Nine Emperor Gods parades through the town of Phuket with giant metal rings through his cheeks
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A devotee of the Nine Emperor Gods parades through the town of Phuket with giant metal rings through his cheeksCredit: Getty Images
This brave believer can be seen with masses of coloured yarn hanging from holes in his face
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This brave believer can be seen with masses of coloured yarn hanging from holes in his faceCredit: Getty Images
Another devotee opted to push a pair of palm tree branches through his cheeks
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Another devotee opted to push a pair of palm tree branches through his cheeksCredit: Getty Images

According to the legend, the stricken entertainers were miraculously cured after adopting a vegetarian diet and paying homage to the Nine Emperor Gods.

The festival emphasises purification, embodied by the giving up of meat for nine days and dressing in white.

Participants must abide by a series of strict rules throughout the festival – including abstaining from sex, boozing and gambling.

The festival, known as Jia Chai, which started on Saturday will run until Sunday.


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