WHAT MAKES a warrior? We sought an answer from one of the ma song who are inhabited by spirits during Phuket's annual Vegetarian Festival.
This particular ma song warrior has two large prayer altars in his home at Kathu, in the centre of the island.
One is covered with sculptures representing the gods of the Chinese Taoists, the other is a Muslim shrine.
Nearby on a wall hangs a tapestry of Mecca. Close at hand is a copy of the Qur'an, with a Thai language translation alongside the Arabian script.
Kitti Janrob says his body is taken over by a departed Muslim warrior each year during the Vegetarian Festival, hence the two altars.
The Muslim altar is beneath a large portrait of Khun Tamee, once a respected Muslim leader in Kathu, whom Khun Kitti says returns in spirit during the festival, which this year begins on September 29.
Khun Kitti is Buddhist but he says he can speak Arabic when Khun Tamee's spirit is with him.
Khun Tamee's large portrait is partially covered by gold leaf, of the kind usually applied to precious relics and sculptures in Buddhist temples.
It's an intriguing juxtaposition because the Muslim holy month of Ramadan overlaps and coincides with the Vegetarian Festival.
Both celebrate purity and the renewal of faith.
The process of becoming a Vegetarian Festival warrior nearly always begins when young boys accompany their fathers to Chinese Taoist temples, absorbing the rituals.
Eventually they too become warriors, happy to bear the pain of cheek piercings to relieve the burden of suffering on their community.
The ornately topped needles that will go through Khun Kitti's cheeks at the end of the month take pride of place on the Taoist altar.
Khun Kitti reaches behind the altar and brings out two very sharp axes and a sword. In his trance, he will use these to strike himself on the back and on the forehead.
While the scars from previous cheek piercings are barely perceptible, the marks of the axe on his forehead are more distinct. The axes and sword are extremely sharp.
Khun Kitti's upper toso is covered in tattoos of religious significance, including an inscription that runs down towards the tip of one forefinger.
He says that to point the finger at a person who has done wrong means the end of the line for that person.
After hearing that, we are very careful about what we say and where we stand.
For most of the year, Khun Kitti works as a volunteer for charity groups. His student brother, Sarayut, who is just 19, also works as a volunteer and will be a warrior for the second time this year.
On a wall at their home hang portraits of their father and grandfather, both warriors before them. And so the tradition continues.
Phuket Vegetarian Festival from September 29
In a world where Guy Fawkes Night and other fireworks-based festivals have long been abandoned as unsafe, the annual Phuket Vegetarian festival is an amazing and truly memorable assault on the eyes and the ears.
Phuket Vegetarian Festival, from September 28
This particular ma song warrior has two large prayer altars in his home at Kathu, in the centre of the island.
One is covered with sculptures representing the gods of the Chinese Taoists, the other is a Muslim shrine.
Nearby on a wall hangs a tapestry of Mecca. Close at hand is a copy of the Qur'an, with a Thai language translation alongside the Arabian script.
Kitti Janrob says his body is taken over by a departed Muslim warrior each year during the Vegetarian Festival, hence the two altars.
The Muslim altar is beneath a large portrait of Khun Tamee, once a respected Muslim leader in Kathu, whom Khun Kitti says returns in spirit during the festival, which this year begins on September 29.
Khun Kitti is Buddhist but he says he can speak Arabic when Khun Tamee's spirit is with him.
Khun Tamee's large portrait is partially covered by gold leaf, of the kind usually applied to precious relics and sculptures in Buddhist temples.
It's an intriguing juxtaposition because the Muslim holy month of Ramadan overlaps and coincides with the Vegetarian Festival.
Both celebrate purity and the renewal of faith.
The process of becoming a Vegetarian Festival warrior nearly always begins when young boys accompany their fathers to Chinese Taoist temples, absorbing the rituals.
Eventually they too become warriors, happy to bear the pain of cheek piercings to relieve the burden of suffering on their community.
The ornately topped needles that will go through Khun Kitti's cheeks at the end of the month take pride of place on the Taoist altar.
Khun Kitti reaches behind the altar and brings out two very sharp axes and a sword. In his trance, he will use these to strike himself on the back and on the forehead.
While the scars from previous cheek piercings are barely perceptible, the marks of the axe on his forehead are more distinct. The axes and sword are extremely sharp.
Khun Kitti's upper toso is covered in tattoos of religious significance, including an inscription that runs down towards the tip of one forefinger.
He says that to point the finger at a person who has done wrong means the end of the line for that person.
After hearing that, we are very careful about what we say and where we stand.
For most of the year, Khun Kitti works as a volunteer for charity groups. His student brother, Sarayut, who is just 19, also works as a volunteer and will be a warrior for the second time this year.
On a wall at their home hang portraits of their father and grandfather, both warriors before them. And so the tradition continues.
Phuket Vegetarian Festival from September 29
In a world where Guy Fawkes Night and other fireworks-based festivals have long been abandoned as unsafe, the annual Phuket Vegetarian festival is an amazing and truly memorable assault on the eyes and the ears.
Phuket Vegetarian Festival, from September 28
Hello!
My name is Uwe Langer and I was staying a couple times in Thailand and especially in Phuket Town.
There I was join the Vegetarian Festival.
I saw the Food offering to warriors, the Birth-death gods Propiitiation and the Propitiation of seven stars in different shrines. Now my question. You can tell me something about the meaning of these?
Thanks!
Best wishes!
Good luck
Uwe
Editor: Hello Uwe. We've never seen anything that tells us enough, but we will definitely interview some people about the deeper meanings of the festival before the next one. Or maybe a reader can help?
Posted by Uwe Langer on December 31, 2009 02:24