Worshippers on Thailand's Phuket island have celebrated a nine-day Taoist festival, with many piercing their faces with metal spikes and walking on hot coals to show devotion to deities. PHUKET, ...

As burning incense fills the air, devotees in trances force skewers and swords through their cheeks in ritualistic acts underpinning southern Thailand's colourful -- and seemingly painful -- ...

Practitioners of Thaipusam show devotion to encounter their gods. Our God came to us first. As a new resident of Malaysia, the first time I saw the festival of Thaipusam in 2022, I was horrified.

Lying in the suburbs of the ancient city of Bhaktapur, the medieval town of Bode has been observing the annual festival of tongue piercing, locally called "Jibro Chedne Jatra." A 10-inch-long needle ...