On the eve of the festival, a large pole is raised in each local temple, and the nine emperor gods are invited to descend from the heavens and take part in the ceremonies. At midnight, nine lanterns are hung on the poles, signifying that the festival has begun. Phuket Town becomes a sea of yellow and white; the yellow being banners put in front of restaurants showing that they serve only vegetarian food, and the white being clothing that the pilgrims will wear for the following week, showing the intention to remain pure and follow the precepts of the festival, which include abstinence from sex and alcohol and refraining from any kind of killing or eating of animals.

While the vegetarian food is delicious and the temples gaily decorated, most visitors keep their focus on the maa song or human devotees whom the gods enter during the festival. The maa song manifest supernatural powers and perform self-mutilations in order to take evil from individuals and to ensure good luck to the entire community. The maa song, aside from piercing their cheeks and other parts of their anatomy, also perform feats like bathing with hot oil, laying on beds of nails, and climbing bladed ladders.

Each morning of the festival begins with street processions through Phuket. At dawn, one can find scores of young men thronging the inner sanctums of the temples, preparing themselves for self-mutilation. At the base of shrines, they go into trances, begin speaking in high tones, and don colorful aprons with Taoist symbols, looking on as doctors inflict cuts into both sides of their mouths. Once the incisions have been made, various sharp objects like knives and skewers are then inserted into their cheeks. However, many of the men seem to try to outdo each other with other items, such as rifles, fishing rods, and parasols. I saw one fellow with the nozzle of a gasoline pump through his face, while his friend had a full-size beach umbrella through both cheeks!

All the shops and houses along the parade routes put tables out front, filled with fruit baskets, joss sticks, and Buddha images. The entranced are then invited to come bless each individual and their business as they pass. Despite the hideous appearance of a man with a two-meter spear protruding through both cheeks, eyes rolled back, and babbling incoherently, most folks don’t flinch when he approaches. Instead, they fold their hands in prayer, wai the maa song, and happily receive his blessings.

As the spirit mediums walk through the streets, young men carrying miniature shrines run alongside. The shrine carriers are swathed in towels to prevent being burned from the ensuing blasts. The shrines are filled with fireworks, which explode like gunpowder when spectators toss entire lit packs of their own into the shrines as they pass. Photographers chasing the procession often compare the work with being in a war zone!

Perhaps the most popular event of the festival is that of fire walking, which takes place in the Saphan Hin stadium near the sea. Blazing coals are flamed, raked, and turned for hours, in preparation for the teams of entranced men, who gyrate and crack whips to the accompaniment of loud drums, preparing themselves for walking across the hot embers. While most of the men show at least some sense of mortality, dashing across the coals as quickly as they can, others strut leisurely without a care in the world. In either case, the participants show neither a burn nor blemish on their feet after the event!

As the week progresses, the street processions become crazier, the noise more thunderous, and the devotees more outlandish in their mutilations. Groups of men swing hatchets, machetes, and spiked balls across their backs, whipping themselves in a mad frenzy. Women get into the fray, too, as the festival draws to a close, performing the same acts of facial shish kebab as the men. Women are often spirit mediums for the child gods, and they can be seen skipping through the streets sucking lollipops or with their thumbs in their mouths.

On the final night of the festival, the fireworks are deafening, and the entire town makes its way out to the sea. The shrines of the emperor gods are loaded into boats and launched adrift, while a monstrous bonfire is lit onshore, and soon the flames are all that remains. The following morning, the debris of ash that engulfs the town is swept up, the restaurants start serving meat again, people put on colorful clothes, and Phuket goes back to being a tourist resort.

I came across the smiling woman running a restaurant who had asked me rather knowingly earlier in the week, “So, is this your first Vegetarian Festival?” She winked and asked whether or not I had enjoyed myself. I replied that I had and realized that I’d be coming back to Phuket for a certain festival for years to come. The Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2009 will be held October 18-26. The website for the event is www.phuketvegetarian.com.