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Big turnout for Samkong Shrine procession
Source: Phuketgazette
Colorful sights and deafening sounds marked the Samkong Shrine procession as it made its way through city streets this morning.
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PHUKET CITY: Crowds lined the streets in Samkong this morning for the
Vegetarian Festival procession starting at Lim Hu Tai Su Shrine, which
kicked off at the auspicious time of 7:19 am after two hours of
religious ceremonies.
Visual highlights of the spectacle
included dancing dragons and teams of men carrying ornate Chinese
palanquins, with the deafening sounds of exploding firecrackers and
banging drums throughout to keep evil spirits at bay.
Scores of entranced devotees known as mah song
(literally, “entranced horses”) were carefully looked after by their
handlers as they endured the long walk barefoot through the city.
Most
were shaking, their eyes glazed over in a trance state allowing them to
endure the pain of sharp objects thrust through their cheeks.
Among the piercing objects observed this morning were swords, shovels, scepters and large metal hoops, to name just a few.
This
morning’s procession was the second of nine street processions to be
held during the 10-day festival, which ends on the evening of October 8
with the lowering of the ko teng lantern poles and a farewell food offering to the Warrior Gods.
A huge night of revelry at Saphan Hin usually follows the 10-day fast.
For a complete list of activities, including procession routes and road closures, click here.
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