Thailand: During the annual Vegetarian Festival in Phuket Town, which features various forms of often gruesome self-punishment, three so-called Mah Song or spirit mediums sport iron spokes pierced through their cheeks, with a group of friends in attendance, some carrying images of Taoist gods on their heads. The Vegetarian Festival is a religious festival annually held on the island of Phuket in southern Thailand. It attracts crowds of spectators because of many of the unusual religious rituals that are performed.