Magic Tattoo Festival
Master of magic tattoos preparing his instruments - needles and ink.
Magic Tattoo Festival (or Wai Khru - "Honor the teachers day") held every year in March at Wat Bang Phra temple in Thailand.
This place is very famous for it's masters. Temple located about 50 km away to the west from Bangkok. A thousands of people come here to make a new tattoo with magic power and monk's blessing (or renew a power of an old one's). It's believed that recipient gets the defensive features or forces of sak-yant tattoo images.
Thai believes that these tattoos will protect them even from real weapons. That's why the majority of the devotees are soldiers, policemen and criminals.
Festival start at night when people come to get a tattoos from masters. These tattoos are created by hand with a long sharp steel needles and special ink made by masters. The main ceremony starts at morning. Crowd listening to monk's chanting and some of the people entering trancelike states, start shaking, yelling and growling as their magic animal spirit. And then devotees start rushing to the main stage where the abbot and monks chant mantras.
Near the stage volunteers wait to restrain and subdue the devotees. They catch rushing devotees and help them to come to their senses by pinching their ears.
At the end of the ceremony monks blessing crowd with a holy water and throw them a blessed fruits and flowers.
This place is very famous for it's masters. Temple located about 50 km away to the west from Bangkok. A thousands of people come here to make a new tattoo with magic power and monk's blessing (or renew a power of an old one's). It's believed that recipient gets the defensive features or forces of sak-yant tattoo images.
Thai believes that these tattoos will protect them even from real weapons. That's why the majority of the devotees are soldiers, policemen and criminals.
Festival start at night when people come to get a tattoos from masters. These tattoos are created by hand with a long sharp steel needles and special ink made by masters. The main ceremony starts at morning. Crowd listening to monk's chanting and some of the people entering trancelike states, start shaking, yelling and growling as their magic animal spirit. And then devotees start rushing to the main stage where the abbot and monks chant mantras.
Near the stage volunteers wait to restrain and subdue the devotees. They catch rushing devotees and help them to come to their senses by pinching their ears.
At the end of the ceremony monks blessing crowd with a holy water and throw them a blessed fruits and flowers.
The process of hand-pocked tattooing is quiet painful because of long sharp steel needle-instrument.
Few people who also came to get their magic tattoos help master by stretching the skin of that one who gets tattoo.
Monk making a special tattoo "sak yant" for one of the participants of annual Magic Tattoo festival at Wat Bang Phra temple in Thailand.
Monks in Wat Bang Phra temple are also have ерушк won magic tattoos.
Devotees sitting and meditating in front of main stage where monks spelling mantras.
From time to time some of devotees in a trancelike state start rushing through the crowd.
Devotees take on the traits of magic animals - monkeys, lions, tigers, bears, snakes or eagles.
Near the stage volunteers wait to restrain and subdue the devotees.
Volunteers pinch the ears of the devotee trying to calm him down.
It's believed that sak-yant tattoos are bring magical protection even from bullets and knives. For this reason, many of the people attending the festival are policemen, soldiers and criminals.
Magic amulets is another thing that very popular among Thais. It has same meaning as tattoos - protection and good luck.
