Sticking samurai swords, steak knives and even the sharpened handles of badminton racquets through their cheeks, devotees of Thailand's vegetarian festival go all out during an annual event that is ...

STORY: Worshippers from the local Chinese community have their faces pierced or walked over hot coals at local shrines in the name of purification. They also believe that going without meat, sex, and ...

Taoist devotees had body parts pierced with objects ranging from skewers and swords to a model ship on Tuesday as Thailand’s Vegetarian Festival returned from a two-year pandemic hiatus. The annual ...

A devotee of the Loem Hu Thai Su shrine has multiple skewers pierced through his cheeks during the annual Vegetarian Festival in Phuket. Taoist devotees had body parts pierced with objects ranging ...

As burning incense fills the air, devotees in trances force skewers and swords through their cheeks in ritualistic acts underpinning southern Thailand's colourful -- and seemingly painful -- ...

Swords, axes and umbrella handles were yesterday pushed through the cheeks of Taoist devotees in a series of unusual piercings as part of Thailand's Vegetarian Festival which returned from a two-year ...

Mouths pierced with swords, knives and gun barrels at Thailand's vegetarian festival make for a bizarre -- and grotesque -- spectacular, but devotees insist they are an essential part of a deeply ...

A devotee of a Chinese shrine with multiple skewers pierced through his cheeks takes part in a procession during the annual Vegetarian Festival in Phuket on October 3, 2019. – The festival begins on ...

Devotees in Thailand's Phuket Island resumed a week-long sacred ritual carried out during the annual vegetarian festival after a long hiatus and events being scaled back due to the coronavirus ...

Sticking samurai swords, steak knives and even the sharpened handles of badminton racquets through their cheeks, devotees of Thailand's vegetarian festival go all out during an annual event that is ...