Kin Jay Festival (vegetarian festival)

Chinese dragon dancing

well, i got here expecting all things to be in full swing and they were, but not when and where expected. when i got to phuket town the epicentre of the festival i got myself a timetable of what is happening where at what time, i made myself familiar with the Chinese temples etc. but i found quite quickly that things never went to plan.



so on the final day of the festival (19th of oct 2007), i gave up as there was nothing planned so decided to have a lie in. i was then awoken early in the morning to the sound of fire crackers, if you have never heard these they sound like a machine gun with the same amount of smoke and trails of red paper everywhere.



i looked out of my window and found the streets lined with people wearing white, realising something big was going to happen i had a quick shower put on my clothes and ran outside to follow the procession. i managed to catch the procession where i saw Chinese lion dancers, one thing i noticed that people would place offerings/money in the mouths of the lions.

a shrine at a Chinese Temple

i walked further up where i caught the main procession where i found what i came to see, the people who pierce themselves all over to show their dedication, it was quite scary seeing men cutting themselves willingly with axes, blood was all over the place, it was nuts!

above, men cutting their lips or tongues with axes.

and below men who have skewered themselves through the cheeks with metal barbs