Peaceful violence - the vegetarian festival #inspiredrisk | Ryan L. Jones

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT My latest short film, Peaceful Violence, is an immersive look at The Vegetarian Festival in Phuket, Thailand. Also known as The Nine Emperor Gods Festival, it is a fascinating and visually dramatic celebration of the Chinese community's belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar will help them obtain good health and peace of mind. The festival is famous for its extreme and sometimes gruesome ceremonies, which are held to invoke the gods. Firewalking, body piercing and other acts of self-mortification undertaken by participants acting as mediums of the gods, have become the most exciting and talked about aspects of the festival.