Una spada cerimoniale attraversa la faccia

Thai man parades with his face pierced with a ceremonial sword during the Vegetarian Festival on the resort island of Phuket in southern Thailand, 14 October 2010. The festival has Chinese origins and is held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar and is believed to cleanse the body. The ritual piercings involve a spirit medium, and consumption of only vegetarian foods as well as making merit. The festival runs for ten days and involves nine street processions featuring ‘devotees’ who pierce their bodies with an assortment of weapons and implements. (EPA/YONGYOT PRUKSARAK)