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RE: Vegetarians and piercings in Phuket
It's a commemoration of a merit making where a community was delivered from a terrible plague. The re-enactment of suffering increases the merit made by eating "jay" (vegetarian) for the ritual 9 days to honour the Buddha. It's one of those quirky things where the animist heart of real Thailand is dressed up as Buddhism and vegetarianism.
And it's bizarre that the word "jay" is similar and likely anciently related to the word "Jain" in India. There are slight variations of this word in Vietnam and Laos as well. However, in Cambodian "jay" means to talk down to and humiliate someone, and to say you are vegetarian, you say "I am one who is becoming a monk" in Khmer, even though monks in Cambodia aren't vegetarian. It's actually really hard to explain vegetarianism in Khmer. It requires at least 4 or 5 sentences. It would be nice to just be able to say "jay" and get the job done.
@justinparke Yes well I reckon it all comes from the same source at some point. Jains, Thai and Chinese vegetarians don't use onion and garlic as well. Yes as you know I had some troubles finding veg food in Cambodia and if it wasn't for you and your kind family I would have practically starved haha.
Thanks your for your comment . Well yes indeed but the festival is actually based on the Chinese community here from SE China that speak Hokkien. I've heard different stories as to the reason behind the tradition with one being the tin mines which were full of Chinese immigrants suffered from dysentery spread by the Chinese opera which was traveling around performing at the different labour camps. To show penace, the Opera members became vegetarian for 9 days. This can help explain the self mutilation and piercings perhaps. The events are based around the Chinese temples here in Phuket.