The expertise of the monks of Wat Bang Phra shrine in creating tattoos is known all over Thailand. The shrine is located in Nakhon Chai Si region, 50 km west to Bangkok. The shrine holds, every year in March a unique tattoo festival.
During the festival’s days, thousands of believers – men only, reach the shrine in order to worship and carry out the special Thai ritual.
In the festival you can see groups of believers and monks tattoo the arms and backs of the visitors with long needles. The tattoos are mostly beasts of prey and dragons which according to the belief are sign to economic strength and protection against injuries from knifes and bullets.
Toward the ending of the day, the believers start to mumble prays toward the monks’ leader with enthusiasm until loss of senses.
The monks’ leader answer their prays by flowing them with a water pipe from head to bottom. This act symbols the end of the unique ceremony.
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