Phuket, Thailand, October 5, 2008--Devotees carry a Chinese god through a sea of exploding firecrackers in a vegetarian festival procession.

During the ten-day event, Phuket residents of Chinese ancestry observe a vegetarian diet and abstain from sex and alcohol as part of spiritual cleansing.

Other rituals include individual acts of body piercing, walking on hot coals, and climbing ladders with bladed rungs as a means to shift evil spirits from others onto themselves to bring the community good luck.