Phuket’s holiest – and goriest – festival is back with a bang

I was startled every few minutes by the sight and sound of the plastic-coated gunpowder exploding with a flash, inches from my feet, smoke billowing in my eyes and blasts ringing in my ears.

Volleying a firecracker at the wooden god effigies paraded at Phuket’s deceptively named Vegetarian Festival – in fact, everyone goes vegan – is deemed good luck by the thousands that gather there.

But for the newbies among the crowd, including myself, it is mildly terrifying. As the crackers rained down, I looked to my right and saw an old man, not flinching in the slightest, with a knowing smile spread across his face. His local festival was back with an almighty bang.

These processions tumble through the island’s streets, and one particular element of the spectacle is infamous across . It is the event where people have swords – or skewers, or umbrellas, or lampshades, or daggers, or even a BMX – inserted through their cheeks.