They Impaled Themselves | National Geographic

the possessed take over the streets of
bootcamp
now in the State of Trance the impaling
begins yeah the risks are great the
spike could induce uncontrollable
bleeding
nerve damage could occur
the wounds will become easily infected
and there will be permanent scarring
but it would take a far braver man to
defy the will of the gods to stop now is
unthinkable
scores of spirit mediums pour out of the
shrine
they will march to the sea and back a
distance of 5 miles with temperatures in
the 90s
the people of poo can’t line the streets
to witness their suffering suffering
they endure on behalf of the whole
community
in gratitude shop owners make their own
offerings to the gods
while the spirit mediums are entrusted
to expel the ills of the island the
other residents also play their part to
purify their bodies and their minds they
are all on a strict vegetarian diet
throughout the festival who can’t be
bought for tab on picking game people in
trances are possessed by God’s good
spirits they will then go to greet all
the people of Phuket they’ve been on the
vegetarian diet people set up tables in
front of the houses with offerings to
all these gods they start by and bless
all these people to be happy and to have
a long life
among those carrying weapons is Goga
an hour into the journey he breaks into
a frenzied attack on himself
he bleeds heavily and there is still a
long way to go a shop owner makes an
offering to go God to acknowledge that
he has taken on the pain and suffering
of the entire community
minutes later another man begins slicing
his own tongue with an axe
despite this grotesque spectacle the
atmosphere is festive it’s a celebration
really and so that seems like a paradox
you have the pain but you have the
celebration as well but that’s not
uncommon there are lots of rituals
around the world that combine pain and
danger with celebration singing joy and
so forth the objects chosen by the
scapegoats for piercing are symbolic of
the weapons held by these Chinese idols
the gods are warlike in appearance the
masochist have become their soldiers
however strict tradition is making way
for what is now a competition of
self-mutilation these soldiers of the
gods now use tree branches chair legs
um brows they compete for favor among
the gods by stretching the limits of
their own flesh it’s a dangerous game
that mr. Howe does not approve off
the only right object is the pointed rod
but some of the followers want to show
off that they are soldiers of the gods I
don’t think it’s right
I want to ban piercings with those
unusual objects