In this picture taken on October 5, 2016, an ethnic Malaysian-Chinese devotee (C) gets a spear skewered through his mouth on the fifth day of the annual Nine Emperor Gods festival at the Tow Boon Kong Nine Emperor Gods Temple in Butterworth. During the nine-day Taoist celebration, beginning on the eve of the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar, the festival welcomes the emperor gods that live in the stars under the reign of Thien Hou or the Queen of Heaven, who brings good fortune, longevity and good health. (Photo by Manan Vatsyayana/AFP Photo)





A devotee of the Chinese Ban Tha Rue shrine with piercings of stems at her face takes part in a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket, Thailand, October 5, 2016. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)





A devotee of the Chinese Ban Tha Rue shrine with blades piercing his face takes part in a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket, Thailand October 5, 2016. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)





A devotee of the Chinese Ban Tha Rue shrine with knives piercing his face takes part in a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket, Thailand October 5, 2016. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)





A devotee from the Chinese Kuan Tae Kun Shrine receive healthcare after being pierced with a metal spear during the yearly Vegetarian Festival, also knows as Nine Emperor Gods Festival. The Vegetarian Festival described as a colorful event, is held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar, and celebrate by the Chinese community of Phuket, where the devotees belief that abstinence from all kind of meat will help them obtain good health along their life. (Photo by Guillaume Payen/LightRocket via Getty Images)





A vegetarian festival devotee is been carried to get medical attention after a parade through the streets on September 29, 2014 in Phuket, Thailand. Ritual Vegetarianism in Phuket Island traces its roots back to the early 1800's. The annual festival begins on the first evening of the ninth lunar month and lasts for nine days. Participants in the festival perform acts of body piercing as a means of shifting evil spirits from individuals onto themselves and bring the community good luck. The ritualized mutilation is performed at a local Buddhist shrine under a trance-like state and is careful supervised. (Photo by Borja Sanchez-Trillo/Getty Images)





A vegetarian festival devotee gets medical attention after a parade at Jui Tui shrine on September 30, 2014 in Phuket, Thailand. (Photo by Borja Sanchez-Trillo/Getty Images)





A vegetarian festival devotee gets medical attention after a parade through the streets on September 29, 2014 in Phuket, Thailand. Ritual Vegetarianism in Phuket Island traces its roots back to the early 1800's. The annual festival begins on the first evening of the ninth lunar month and lasts for nine days. Participants in the festival perform acts of body piercing as a means of shifting evil spirits from individuals onto themselves and bring the community good luck. The ritualized mutilation is performed at a local Buddhist shrine under a trance-like state and is careful supervised. (Photo by Borja Sanchez-Trillo/Getty Images)





A devotee of the Chinese Samkong Shrine walks with a bleeding tongue after cutting it with an axe during a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket, Thailand, October 16, 2015. The festival, featuring face-piercing, spirit mediums and strict vegetarianism celebrates the local Chinese community's belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar will help them obtain good health and peace of mind. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)





A spirit medium) has just had his face piercings extracted during the Phuket Vegetarian Festiva. Image shot 2011. Exact date unknown. (Photo by Alamy Stock Photo)