PhotoBlog - piercing

19
Oct
2012
6:09am, EDT
Extreme piercing at Thai vegetarian festival
GRAPHIC WARNING: Contains images which some viewers may find disturbing.
David Longstreath / EPA
Devotees of the Chinese shrine of Ban Tha Rua shield themselves as fireworks explode while they carry a shrine during a street procession at the annual Vegetarian Festival on Phuket Island, southern Thailand, on October 19, 2012.
The traditional vegetarian festival in Phuket is founded on the local Chinese community's belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the ninth lunar month of their calendar will help them obtain good health and peace of mind, Reuters reports.
According to Phuket.com, one of the rituals at the festival sees participants "puncture their cheeks with various items including knives, skewers and other household items. It is believed that the Chinese gods will protect such persons from harm."
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Damir Sagolj / Reuters
A devotee of Ban Tha Rua Chinese shrine with a gun pierced through his cheek takes part in a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket on October 19, 2012.

5 comments
It's little tid-bits such as these that pretty much prove to me that some of our species haven't gone all that far up the evolutionary ladder . . . these people have severe emotional problems.
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Explore related topics: thailand, asia, world-news, phuket, piercing, vegetarian-festival
14
May
2012
7:59pm, EDT
Tattoo artist attaches iPod to wrist using magnetic piercings
Keith Bedford / Reuters
Tattoo artist Dave Hurban displays an iPod Nano which he has attached to his wrists through magnetic piercings in his wrist in New York.
Keith Bedford / Reuters
Tattoo artist Dave Hurban displays the magnetic piercings he uses to attach his iPod.
You can see more images of piercings in PhotoBlog.
A New Jersey man has implanted magnets into his arm in order to attach his Nano device. Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports.
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2 comments
I remember when I was a child in elementary school many many years ago and one of my teachers brought a National Georgraphic magazine to class and showed us pictures of African people who had distorted and mutilated their bodies by stretching their necks and lips and abusing their bodies in other wa …
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Explore related topics: tattoo, ipod, us-news, magnet, piercing
8
Mar
2012
4:33pm, EST
Vampire woman, who prefers to be called Jaguar Woman, got her first tattoo at 14
Alejandro Acosta / Reuters
Maria Jose Cristerna, a mother of four, tattoo artist and former lawyer, poses for a photograph in Guadalajara March 8, 2012. Cristerna, dubbed "Vampire Woman," prefers to be identified as "Jaguar Woman."
Alejandro Acost / Reuters
Cristerna got her first tattoo when she was 14 and decided to physically transform herself after having gone through 10 years of domestic violence in her first marriage.
For more, see these posts featuring tattoos previously in PhotoBlog.
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23 comments
Guess what? Calling her ugly won't make you prettier, nor will it cause her appearance to change. She voluntarily posed for the pictures taken, while smiling and enjoying herself. Half of the people I know, 'normal' or not, wouldn't have the courage to smile. She is a mother of 4, with an honest job …
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Explore related topics: mexico, tattoo, featured, piercing
20
Jan
2011
10:52am, EST
Saeed Khan / AFP - Getty Images
A Hindu devotee carries a milk pot, known as "kavadis", for pilgrims near the Batu Cave before sunrise during the Thaipusam festival outside the Malaysian city of Kuala Lumpur on Jan. 20. The Hindu festival of Thaipusam, which commemorates the day when Goddess Pavarthi gave her son Lord Muruga an invincible lance with which he destroyed evil demons, is celebrated by some two million ethnic Indians in Malaysia. The centerpiece of the celebration is held at Batu Caves, where worshippers pierced with hooks and skewers in their tongues, cheeks, chests and backs shoulder heavy structures called kavadis as they walk barefoot up the temple's 272 steps in a form of penance.
Hindu devotee at Thaipusam festival in Malaysia
By Elena Grothe
We posted some Thaipusam festival images earlier today. Here's one that looks less painful.
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20
Jan
2011
8:12am, EST
Hindus observe the festival of Thaipusam in India
By Mish Whalen
According to Reuters: Thousands of Hindus participate in the annual festival whereby devotees subject themselves to painful rituals in a demonstration of faith and self punishment. Hindus believe they are cleansed of all sins and their misdeeds can be redeemed by observing prayers during Thaipusam. Read more about this festival.
Stephen Morrison / EPA
A devotee with a large cheek piercing leaves Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple during the Thaipusam Festival in Singapore on January 20, 2011.
Sivaram V / Reuters
Hindu devotees with their tongues pierced, take part in a procession as part of the Thaipusam festival in the southern Indian city of Kochi on January 20, 2011.
Stephen Morrison / EPA
A devotee with metal nail sandals leaves Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple during the Thaipusam Festival procession in Singapore, on January 20, 2011.
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Explore related topics: religion, festival, world-news, ritual, hindu, piercing, thaipusam

Hindu devotee at Thaipusam festival in Malaysia