J-Festival in Thung Song from Nikki Elizabeth on Vimeo.
For weeks, these large yellow flags with Chinese and Thai writing on them in red have been popping up all over town. My friend Vicki, who has been in Thailand for a while, figured that they were for the vegetarian festival - which she saw last year in Phuket. When the phrase "Vegetarian festival" first entered into my schema, I figured- okay, there's going to be a lot of food venders with vegetarian stalls and I'll get to eat a lot. No. Not the case. As it turns out
Many Thai people observe this vegetarian festival, even if they do not eat Thai vegetarian food throughout the rest of the year. During this Thai festival, Thai people practice (เจ, pronounced jay). The word jay is taken from Chinese Mahayana Buddhism, and it means eight precepts observance. One of the eight precepts is the avoidance of eating any animal meat during the vegetarian festival. When a Thai person practices jay, they also keep up a high moral standard of good deeds in their action, words, and thoughts. During the festival, Thai people practicing jay must keep their body clean, keep their eating utensils clean, and make sure they do not share utensils with people not observing the Thai vegetarian festival. They must wear white clothing as often as possible, avoid killing or harming animals, and be mindful of their actions and thoughts. During the Thailand vegetarian festival, devotees abstain from sex and alcohol. In Phuket and in the south of Thailand, the festival is unique due to the actions of the mah song. A mah song is a man (or very rarely, a woman) possessed by a god during the vegetarian festival. Mah songs parade through the streets of Phuket, walking across hot coals or exploding fireworks and bathing in hot oil. They pierce their mouths, cheeks, ears, and arms with fish hooks, knives, razor blades and bamboo poles. The deity residing within the mah song protects their body from pain and injury(Many thanks to Chaing Mai Best for the information.) My (gorgeous) Thai friend Vallappa is participating in a meditation cleanse for the 10 days by going to the temple every morning (and evening if she has time) and abstaining from eating meat, having sex, getting her period, and drinking alcohol.
Vicki said that last year in Phuket she happened to stumble upon the main event. Apparently, it's a huge deal in Phuket. Certain people go into a trance and then parade around with umbrellas through their cheeks, sticks shoved through their noses, lips, and chins, and blood running down their bodies. Some might walk on hot coals. She said it's awesome, and gruesome. Naturally, I need to see this. So Vicki and I asked Vallapa where we could find it, and she couldn't tell us a date or a time, but said that they'll start in the center of town and then walk around to all of the shops, stopping to bless restaurants and shop owners as they go.
Vicki's in Ao Nang right now, but she called me up to let me know that they're about to start the parade there, so maybe it's the same for Thung Song? So off I go on my scooter, though I was actually headed toward the bank because I had errands to run too. Sure enough, I see the tell-tale yellow flags and a police car leading the front of the parade. I quickly pull off on the side of the road and prepare to get my camera out. As I'm struggling to quickly put a sweater on over my tank top, (when in doubt, cover up to be respectful) a Thai man standing on the side of the street where I parked my bike beckons me over. Now, I'm wondering if he's going to tell me not to take photos or something that a foreigner wouldn't necessarily know, so I go to him. He starts rambling off in Thai and gesturing towards the parade. I nod, smile and say "parade, yes yes I know" I have NO idea what he's on about. In the mean time, I see a Thai woman taking photos so I reckon that's okay. Before I can get away and get back to the parade, he's telling me his name and asking me where I come from. I'm polite, answer his questions and tell him I'm a teacher, but by the time I manage to get away (not before receiving a very awkward kiss on the cheek???) the parade has gone past. No matter, I'm back on my bike and off again.
I saw the general direction it's heading so I start zigging and zagging through the towns center, trying to catch up and figure out where I can park. I have no idea where I am, but I'm keeping sight of the main strip every time I go up a side street. Finally, I manage to come out on the main street ahead of the parade so I park my bike and get in prime position for photos/video.
The parade didn't disappoint from what Vicki told me. Sure, it was most likely on a much smaller scale than other large places (Thung Song aint that big) but it delivered exactly what I hoped for. It starts off with a police car, then a truck that's playing traditional Thai (chinese?) music. Next come a group of girls in colorful, chinese looking shirts carrying a banner. There's people with offerings, and some with donation boxes. (i assume- could be wrong) And sure enough, there go people with all kinds of stick like objects through their mouths. At first I was like - wait, is that going through their cheeks? Yup. Okay then, skewers through their cheeks. Wait, wait what? Is that an umbrella?! Yes, yes it is. Is that a FLAG? Yup - how do they do that? They're just sauntering on like like there's NOT an extremely uncomfortable pole through their face.
A little boy goes by carrying a bucket of water bottles, and the parade stops with a man who has a double ended flag through his face right in front of me. How did they even get that in there? I see another man dressed in white squirt some water into the mouth of a guy with a large skewer through his cheeks, and the parade carries on. Rounding out the back are a few shirtless men carrying black flags, also with things through their face. They're dancing around, shaking their heads and bodies as if they're in a trance. I look closer - One of them in blindfolded with a red cloth. The other two have something smeared down their chests. Wait, is that blood? Indeed it looks like it. I don't know if it's their own - having run down their chest from their impaled cheeks, or if it's a ritualistic smearing of animal blood or even red paint. I'm willing to say it's their own blood, but then I wondered where everyone else's blood was. Maybe these guys were doing it for the first time where others already had the holes there? It will forever be a mystery to me.
The parade continues with pickup trucks, in the back are monks, shrines, and Chinese-Buddhist statues adorned with offerings. Women dressed all in white, adorned with veils and gold bangles are walking past, they're doing the blessings. One woman sees me taking photos and comes up to me. At first I thought I'd be chastised. But then she closes her eyes and starts chanting in Thai, touching my head, my shoulders. She sprinkles me with water, and offers me a flower. I thought I heard her say "kru" a few times, meaning she was blessing me for being a teacher, but like usual, I have no idea what's being said. I'm receiving a blessing in a festival in Thailand. It doesn't matter what was said, it doesn't matter that I don't understand. The experience itself is awesome, in the literal sense. I try my best to act appropriately, bowing my head and putting my hands in prayer position to my forehead, but in all honesty, I didn't know what to do. It was a very spiritual moment though, and an experience I will never forget.
