Phuket Vegetarian Festival: Procession for Jui Tui Shrine (Photo Essay)
October 21, 2012 in Asia, Thailand, Travelogue
I don’t know if I really have the words to capture this.
The following come to mind:
- Disturbing
- Nauseating
- Violent
- Sad
- Painful
- Confusing
- Loud
- Cacophonous
- Overwhelming
- Very, very foreign
This morning we attended one of the big processions, for the Jui Tui Shrine in Phuket Town. We’d been told is was the “don’t miss” event of the festival. That part was true. But part of me would have been okay with missing it.
There may have been hundreds of Asian tourists in the crowd, but there were only one or two other Westerners on our street.
The procession moved fast and went on for at least two hours. We left before it was over.
Candy was thrown. So was fruit; right at my head, in fact. I reached up with ninja like reflexes and snatched a red delicious apple out of the air like I’d planned to, on absolute instinct. That was a highlight for the kids.
Men stopped in the street and cut themselves, beat themselves with durian fruit and maces studded with nails.
And the fire crackers. Overhead, underfoot, flying into the crowd. I grabbed my younger boys by the shirts and jerked them out of the line of fire.
People had pierced their faces with everything from long skewers, to plants, to huge wooden poles laden with boats, to beach umbrellas, to bolt cutters. Yes. Bolt cutters. I can’t tell you about it, you’d never believe it. So we took pictures.
In one shrine we saw a very old woman with crippled feet, which had been bound as a child, lighting incense to her gods, an echo of traditions thousands of years old.
I’ve been thinking about this experience all day; how to explain it, quantify it in words, some how communicate the deep well of disquiet it has poured into my soul, and I just can’t.
I don’t get it. I don’t know if I can ever get it. Frankly, I don’t know if I want to get it.
It must make sense on some level because thousands of rational, functional, upstanding members of the community participate, year after year. In that way, I know it must make sense, somehow, to someone. But to me, it does not.
I’m not going to pretend it does. If you have some insight for me, please feel free to share it.
Otherwise, all I have to say is that this is by far the craziest, most disturbing experience we’ve ever had, bar none.
That is indeed very disturbing. I can’t even look at those pictures a second time. Thanks for sharing your experience though. It certainly leaves me with lots to ponder.
JENNIFER….THESE PICTURES ARE SOOO DISTURBING….SO STRANGE….HOW CAN PEOPLE LIVE LIKE THAT AND WONDER WHAT IT ALL MEANS….WEREN’T YOU AND YOUR FAMILY SCARED BEING THE ONLY WESTERNERS THERE….
YOU DO TAKE BEAUTIFUL PICTURES….THANK YOU FOR SHOWING US A PART OF THE WORLD WE’LL NEVER SEE…SURE THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SHOWS US PICTURES BUT THESE PICTURES WERE TAKEN BY A FAMILY NOT A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT PICTURES…
Surely this must leave scars. So my question is, before this festival did you notice a large percentage of the population with scars?
Linda… we were not scared, no. There’s a very “family” atmosphere, strangely enough. There were children through grandparents in the parade and in attendance. We saw a child in a trance being carried, and a boy about Elisha’s age with a bar through his face. It was a very “raw” experience to be sure.
Lois… it does leave scars… but part of the belief is that the participants are protected by their gods and that there will be minimal scarring… that being said, we see people with cheek scars, and back scars… so it’s not without consequence.
A similar thing happens in Guardia Sanframondi in Italy celebrating the Assumption of The Virgin Mary. They use self-flagellation as an act of penance. Although I don’t know much about it, it is considered an act of devotion; however, I cannot get my head around it! Apparently they pour wine on their wounds to keep them open and to act as an antiseptic. It’s interesting though that this happens in the “civilised” west as well. As you know Italy is a very religious and family oriented country and there is nothing sinister about it. Still don’t like it though!
Interesting Melanie… Thailand is very religious and family oriented too… I don’t think there was anything sinister at all about this. We felt very safe… but it’s just something I cannot get my head around, regardless of religious persuasion.
Wow – not what I expected from a Vegetarian festival at all! Fascinating pics and article, though.
Melanie brings up an interesting point about self-flagellation and religions. The self mutilation in this article may seem extremely odd to us, but self harm is common in a lot of religions, including Christianity.
I even ran across a link from the BBC that talks about Pope John Paul II in this light (hope it’s OK if I post the link?)
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-01-27/world/pope.flagellate_1_vatican-radio-pope-john-paul-ii-vatican-insider?_s=PM:WORLD
Of course it’s okay to post a relevant link! I welcome it! I know it’s not uncommon in many religions, including Christianity… but regardless of where it’s found… I don’t get it. I just… don’t.
Um….ouch! That’s all I have to say about that:)
[…] There are certain festivals and ceremonies that would make many of us scratch our head and maybe even recoil in disgust. My friend Jennifer Miller recently saw one such festival in Thailand called the Phuket vegetarian festival. People participating in this festival were were causing bodily harm to themselves. One man was slicing his tongue with a knife. Another man was jabbing his cheeks with sharp objects. There was lot of blood and to most travellers and tourists it is probably quite horrifying to watch. If you are interested in seeing Jennifer’s photo essay on this you should go and read about it on her blog here Phuket Vegetarian Festival. […]