Phuket Vegetarian Festival
Vegetarian Festival is held in Thailand during the ninth month of the lunar calendar. It is a sacred ritual in which participants sacrifice themselves for purity of community and their soul. They believe that causing pain by pushing sharp objects through the mouth and cheek repel evil spirits and disease. Believers are going through terrible agony, and believe that they can withstand the pain because their bodies enter the divine spirits that give them supernatural power.
El Colacho
This festival is held in Spain, in Corpus Christi, since back in 1620th year. All children born in the past 12 months vice on mattresses, while adult men from the village of Castrillo de Murcia training as devils and jumping over them. The festival often ends up injuries (usually adult), and it is believed that this ritual cleanses children of original sin, keeps them from disease and evil spirits.
Kanamara Matsuri
This festival is held each spring in Kawasaki (Japan). It is a festival of fertility. During the festival you can buy sweets, vegetables and gifts in the form of the phallus. This festival was very popular among prostitutes, who believed that they will participate in it protect against sexually transmitted diseases.
Enjoy :)
were i god, seeing my followers mutiliate themselves would inspire me.
ReplyDeleteAre these people still lighting fires with flint and sending women to a separate hut when they have their menses? Wow, and I complain when a gun-toting presidential-wanna-be wants to shoot at a moose on a hillside. Somewhere in the US there must be a Palin festival or at least there should be.
ReplyDeleteI'd hate to think what they do for the Vegan festival.
ReplyDeleteI say Phuket to that first festival.
ReplyDeleteDear god. I rather just keep the evil spirits inside me....
ReplyDeleteI can think of better things to do in Phuket.
ReplyDeleteThat's some crazy weird stuff.
ReplyDeletethat was really uncomfortable watching the man take those rods to his mouth.
ReplyDeleteoh japan, you always make me lol
ReplyDeleteUm. Wow. Baby jumping eh? I think that kind of blew me away.
ReplyDeleteI never understood the whole shoving of a million spiked rods in one's body. I mean, I understand every culture is different, but seriously. Who thought of that?
ReplyDeleteThat first picture creeped me out.
ReplyDeleteJapan makes me lol too haha!
Why jump over sleeping babies ?
ReplyDeleteI think I'm a little screwed up now.....:D
ReplyDeletecool festivals :D
ReplyDeletei'm sure glad i wasn't born in thailand...
ReplyDeleteoh humanity, how puzzling you are sometimes.
ReplyDelete