No, this is not some celebration of masochists, though it may look like it. It is actually the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, a religious festival believed to bring blessings to all followers. The followers comprise mainly of Chinese in Phuket, Thailand, who follow a strict vegan or vegetarian diet for 10 days to gain favor with their gods and for spiritual cleansing. This is accompanied by sacred rituals at Chinese temples and shrines around the island. Stalls of vegan food are set up throughout Phuket City, and even non-vegans will be quite tempted with the sumptuous variety of vegetarian food.

Obviously the most distinct feature of this festival is the amount of ‘pain’ involved with seriously crazy and insane body piercings. And I am not just talking about needles but unthinkable objects like guns, umbrellas and saws! Not sure exactly what this is supposed to represent, but my guess is that it represents some level of self-retribution for the things they have done wrong in their lives. I have seen many crazy and painful stuff, but these pictures are probably one of the most extreme that I have seen in awhile. Careful, very graphic pictures follow.