Tesagan Gin Je or the Vegetarian festival NOTE SOME DISTRESSING PHOTOGRAPHS



The festivities in Phuket include procession of MAH SONG
wearing elaborate costumes  
This is all very carnival like atmosphere with crackers noise
 and lots of people



Mah Song are the people that

 invite the spirits of gods to posses their bodies.

Mah means horse and
refers to how the gods will use their bodies-as a vehicle
It is believed that while one is possessed -  the Mah song
 will not feel the pain. They appear to be in deep trans.
Continous cuts are being made as Mah Song move their heads
 from side to side continously.

The belief is that partaking in this Tao ceremony
prolongs one’s life absolves sins and past debts
and eliminates bad luck of oneself and his family

Only pure unmarried people can be Mah song.

Women can also be Mah Song

MAH SONG wear
elaborate costumes
 and pierce
 their cheeks
 and tongues



People accompany
mah songto keep
 their wounds clean
and help
 support the heavier
 piercing
One happy
 havy sward handler



The entranced distribute blessed candy and pieces of orange cloth
engraved with words for good luck



The entranced



And more blessings.
Mah Song seem to receive some gifts and it all happened quickly
 so I didn't manage to see what it was



Grateful woman holding on to  her families orange cloth engraved with words for good luck.
The kids are holding on to their blessed candy.

Sunday 18^th September 2011

Driving along Phukets streets on a sunny Sunday afternoon we noticed this commotion on the side of the road with crackers and lots of people. Sometime when in a foreign country those times take one by surprise and this on did ! We soon realized that what we were witnessing was the Vegetarian Festival that has 2 other names. Something we have read about and I in particular have always wanted to see it. We expected it to take place later on in the month and we knew that this year we were going to miss it – unfortunately.

If you thinking of vegetarian festival as eating a lot of vegetables you are in for a huge surprise. It is also known as Nine Emperor Gods Festival and it lasts nine days starting on the eve of the ninth lunar month. It is one of the most unusual and bizarre festivals in Thailand it is called Tesagan Gin Je or Vegetarian festival.

The story is that Nine Emperor Gods are the nine sons of Emperor Zhou and Mother of the Big Dipper. Tao believe that honoring the North Dipper Stars prolongs one’s life absolves sins and past debts and eliminates bad luck of oneself and his family.

According to folk stories that the 9 sons were actually sea pirates.

According to Tao Nine Emperor Gods are high ranking Star Lords presiding over the movement of planets and coordinating mortal life and death issues. Serious “stuff”

So on the eve of the ninth moon the temples of the deities hold a ceremony to invoke and welcome the 9 emperors. A carnival like atmosphere pervades the temples with

most devotees staying at the temple and eating vegetarian meals as well as reciting continuous chanting and prayer. Mah Song are the people that invite the spirits of gods to posses their bodies. Mah means –horse and refers to how the gods will use their bodies-as a vehicle and can be seen shaking their heads back and forth continually. Only pure unmarried people can be Mah song . They wear elaborate costumes and pierce their cheeks and tongues with all sort of sharp objects : swards banners knifes etc. Some pierce their arms with pins or fishhooks as well.

Teams of people accompany Mah Song to keep their wounds clean and help support the heavier piercing. It is believed that while one is possessed the Mah song will not feel the pain.The entranced distribute blessed candy and pieces of orange cloth engraved with words for good luck and maybe get some gifts.

In Phuket participating parties wear white which is translated to abstinence of meat seafood and diary products and this is called JE food. Yellow flags are hang out in places that sell JE food. The streets are full of yellow flags now wherever we drive.

There is a belief that there will be rain during all the nine days since the arrival of gods is believed to be trough water. Laugh if you want and we had rain for the past 2 days with winds that took my washing away…

On the ninth day there will be a great procession held to send the deities home.

Oh by the way apparently there are no scars left. I also heard that there was no blood well that as you could see is not quite so.