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Thai devotees are possessed by spirits and pierced with long needles during a Vegetarian ritual at the Sapam Shrine on October 19, 2020 in Phuket, Thailand. Thailand holds its first major festival since COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were put in place in March of 2020. The annual Vegetarian Festival in Phuket, where devotees follow a strict vegetarian diet to celebrate the 9 Emperor Gods, remains one of the most popular events in Thailand. This year, the Thai government hopes that allowing the festival to happen despite emergency decrees will help boost the suffering local economy. The Phuket airport is expected to receive nearly 15,000 domestic travellers per day throughout the duration of the 9 day festival, generating millions of baht. Over the course of the pandemic Phuket has been one of the hardest hit areas in Thailand, with 80% of the island's profits reliant on foreign visitors and tens of thousands unemployed. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)
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