COOL PICS · PEOPLE

THAIPUSAM ANNUAL VEGETARIAN FESTIVAL 2007

The annual Vegetarian Festival in Thailand is famed for acts of self mutilation by devotees who believe they are possessed. The festival celebrates the local Chinese community's belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar will help them attain good health and peace of mind. Amazing feats are performed by participants who believe they are possessed by spirits and/or in a trance. They walk on burning coals, pierce tender parts of their bodies with sharp or thorny instruments, climb a ladder made of knives barefoot, and generally do such things as might leave an ordinary person dead or in critical condition. All this is done without any apparent suffering, massive loss of blood, or other ill-effect. It is an astonishing spectacle, but not recommended for the faint hearted - performed not by actors but by the common citizenry.

RELATED IMAGE GALLERIES

COOL PICTURES

Photography and art in general of animals, people, graffiti, nature, transport, technology, etc.

GO >>

COOL WALLPAPERS

Our desktop wallpapers are of most subjects such as autos, aircraft, space, anime, video games, celebrities, etc.

GO >>

COOL ART

Featuring cool art from notable and upcoming artists and photographers.

GO >>