Related to how cryptochristianism, under the typical crypto pretext of "preventing self-harm"
- has banned self-piercing among Tamizh Nadu Hindoos for Murugan on Thaipusam
- is building up to next ban fire-walking by Kannadiga Hindoos for Sri Dharmaraja-Draupadi etc
During the sacred Taoist Festival of the Nine Emperors (a period of vegetarianism, a strict ritual observance for even non-vegetarian Taoists):
1. Taoists in Thailand (Phuket), do self-piercing "self-mortification" in the form of even driving blades (entire swords) into their bodies, but also multiple long thin needles and other stuff etc. Both men and women do this. And they also undergo a trance-like state.
Some example images at
shutterstock.com/pic-125337800/stock-photo-phuket-oct-taoist-devotees-participate-in-a-street-procession-of-the-nine-emperor-gods.html?src=PWKdI_ADQ8UoGXX0-MEqlQ-1
During the festival "Some participants go into trance and act as a medium for the Nine Emperor Gods". An example image of this at
shutterstock.com/pic-130225349/stock-photo-phuket-oct-a-taoist-devotee-participates-in-a-ceremony-of-the-nine-emperor-gods-festival.html?src=pp-photo-125140829-1&ws=1
2. Taoists in Malaysia do firewalking by carrying vigrahas of their Gods across the firey stones.
Example photos of this festival can be seen at
adibrawi.com/2014/10/03/nine-emperor-gods-festival/
where they are captioned by the photographer with
Entering trance-like states as a medium for the Gods is also seen in Taiwan, where self-flagellation - upon a ritual spirit entrance into the body of a human - is a known Taoist ritual. E.g.
neil-wade.photoshelter.com/image/I0000gxkCUHMlWNc
Though there are Hindoos that self-flagellate in India, the case I've heard of (seen in IIRC an episode in India presented by Asha Gill from Lonely Planet) is different: in the Hindu case, the Hindu does self-flagellation to expiate others' sins, but does not undergo a trance.
Self-flagellation was an old custom among heathens in the Middle-East too. And also seen in Greece and Rome, see:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagellant
The rest of this post is continued in the "Evil" Hindu practices thread.
- has banned self-piercing among Tamizh Nadu Hindoos for Murugan on Thaipusam
- is building up to next ban fire-walking by Kannadiga Hindoos for Sri Dharmaraja-Draupadi etc
During the sacred Taoist Festival of the Nine Emperors (a period of vegetarianism, a strict ritual observance for even non-vegetarian Taoists):
1. Taoists in Thailand (Phuket), do self-piercing "self-mortification" in the form of even driving blades (entire swords) into their bodies, but also multiple long thin needles and other stuff etc. Both men and women do this. And they also undergo a trance-like state.
Some example images at
shutterstock.com/pic-125337800/stock-photo-phuket-oct-taoist-devotees-participate-in-a-street-procession-of-the-nine-emperor-gods.html?src=PWKdI_ADQ8UoGXX0-MEqlQ-1
Quote:PHUKET - OCT 3: Taoist devotees participate in a street procession of the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, known locally as the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, on Oct 3, 2011 in Phuket, Thailand.
During the festival "Some participants go into trance and act as a medium for the Nine Emperor Gods". An example image of this at
shutterstock.com/pic-130225349/stock-photo-phuket-oct-a-taoist-devotee-participates-in-a-ceremony-of-the-nine-emperor-gods-festival.html?src=pp-photo-125140829-1&ws=1
2. Taoists in Malaysia do firewalking by carrying vigrahas of their Gods across the firey stones.
Example photos of this festival can be seen at
adibrawi.com/2014/10/03/nine-emperor-gods-festival/
where they are captioned by the photographer with
Quote:Malaysian Chinese devotee rest after burning a coals during the last day of Nine Emperor Gods Festival at Nine Emperor Gods temple outside Kuala Lumpur on October 02, 2014. The nine-day Taoist festival, believers welcome the "emperor gods" who they believe live amongst the stars, in order to bring good fortune, longevity and good health. Some devotees stay at a temple during the festival, which begins on the eve of the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar, where they consume vegetarian meals and recite continuous prayers. Photo Adib Rawi Yahya
Entering trance-like states as a medium for the Gods is also seen in Taiwan, where self-flagellation - upon a ritual spirit entrance into the body of a human - is a known Taoist ritual. E.g.
neil-wade.photoshelter.com/image/I0000gxkCUHMlWNc
Quote:This man is performing a Ji Tong ritual. The spirit-medium, said to be possessed by the spirit of a Taoist God, self-flagellates at a religious ceremony in Tainan, Taiwan.
Though there are Hindoos that self-flagellate in India, the case I've heard of (seen in IIRC an episode in India presented by Asha Gill from Lonely Planet) is different: in the Hindu case, the Hindu does self-flagellation to expiate others' sins, but does not undergo a trance.
Self-flagellation was an old custom among heathens in the Middle-East too. And also seen in Greece and Rome, see:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagellant
Quote:Flagellation (from Latin flagellare, to whip) was quite a common practice amongst the more fervently religious. Various religions, like the cult of Isis in Egypt and the Dionysian cult of Greece, practiced their own forms of flagellation. In ancient Rome, eunuch priests of the Phrygian goddess Cybele, the Galli, flogged themselves until they bled during the annual festival called Dies sanguinis (Day of Blood). Women were flogged during the Roman Lupercalia to ensure fertility.
The rest of this post is continued in the "Evil" Hindu practices thread.