Holey event

Religious festivals are celebrated in different ways in different parts of the world. The manner of celebration rather obviously depends on the deities worshipped and the demands they make on their followers. One of the more interesting religious events in the world is the Nine Emperor Gods Festival in China, which celebrates the return of the Nine Emperor spirits from heaven to earth. The interesting aspect of this festival is that the devout celebrate by piercing their skin with things like swords and skewers. The objects need not be sharp, as guns are also used as demonstrations of their faith.

The festival lasts for nine days during which the prayer bell tolls constantly and temple priests never stop chanting. The festival reaches its climax on the ninth day when a large procession of devotees makes its way to a waterway to send the deities back home.

The festival is also celebrated in Thailand where it’s called Tesegan Gin Je, the Vegetarian Festival. Phuket, with the highest Chinese population in Thailand, has the most elaborate festivities. Participants in the festival may eat only vegetarian food and exclude all dairy from their diets. To be properly cleaned of their dirty sins they must also abstain from alcohol, smoke and sex for ten days before the festival.

Mah song are devout believers who open their bodies up to the spirits of the gods and allow themselves to be possessed. Both men and women can become mah song, but they must be pure and unmarried, with no families of their own. They are the ones who practice self-mutilation, flagellation and other trials of pain. Before they begin the rituals of self-mutilation, the temple priests perform a series of blessings designed to protect them during the festival.

The mah song then participate in processions clothed in elaborate costumes and pierce their cheeks, tongues, nose and lips with items ranging from swords and banners, to machine guns and table lamps. Some devotees use flowers. The piercing is not limited to the face; pins and fishhooks are often used to pierce their arms and torsos.

Other forms of self-inflicted pain include walking on hot coals, bathing in hot oil and climbing ladders with sharp blades for rungs. Throughout these demonstrations the mah song feel no pain and spill very little, if any, blood. This is seen as proof that the gods inhabit their bodies. This belief is further evidenced by their trance-like state and inability to take in their surroundings.

At the end of the festival, when the gods have been seen safely back to their place in the stars and all the spikes, skewers and guns have been cleaned and returned to their owners, the mah song clean their words and go on with their lives. They suffer no ill effects, there is very little scarring and they will be honoured to take part in the procession again the following year. As a test of faith, the Nine Emperor Gods Festival must surely be one of the most daunting, but only to those who question their belief.

Recommended sites:
http://www.neatorama.com/index.php?s=events&Submit=Go
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Emperor_Gods_Festival