A "Ma Song", a Taoist spiritual medium, practises self-mutilation in front of worshippers during a procession through the streets of Phuket.
For the Ma Song, self-mutilation is a way of absorbing the pain of the devotees that has accumulated over the course of the year. It is also a ritual of protection for the coming year.
In the streets, Taoist worshippers are invited to throw firecrackers and other explosives at moving wooden carts carrying figures of deities. This is a way of scaring away evil.
In a Chinese temple of Phuket in the early hours of the morning, Ma Song prepare to parade through the streets. They must first enter a trance before they can have their extreme piercings done.
At nightfall, worshippers gather in the city's temples. It is essential to dress in white and behave modestly. This is where the Ma Song continue their crazy rituals, running barefoot over red-hot coals. This is considered purifying.
Throughout the festival, which lasts over a week, worshippers are not allowed to drink alcohol and must follow a strictly vegetarian diet.
The festival takes place every year around October, with dates that may vary depending on the position of the moon in the sky.
