Tens of thousands flock to sacred tattoo ceremony outside Bangkok
Bill Bredesen March 20, 2016 The Nation
A heavily tattooed Thai man trembles as he releases a
full-throated animal scream. He struggles to his feet, seemingly against his
will, and charges forward, only to be restrained by the brute force of temple
officials.
The man is experiencing a trance state commonly witnessed at an annual ceremony
that pays respect to a late sacred Thai tattoo master and former temple abbot.
Tens of thousands of believers over the weekend crowded onto the grounds of Wat
Bang Phra in Nakhon Pathom, some 50 kilometres west of the Thai capital, to
re-energize their tattoos’ spiritual powers.
They gathered under a sweltering sun, sitting cross-legged on plastic mats,
some with their heads bowed in meditation, and waited hours fora blessing from
the temple’s current tattoo masters.
The spectacle of followers in
trance states was constant. They roared like tigers, howled like monkeys and
shouted like men possessed,assuming the animal powers of their magical ink.
Pongsakorn Yodchumpong, 30, whose body is covered in mystical insignia, was
among those who entered such a state. His body shook,he growled, and he tried
several times to stampede through the crowd.
His girlfriend later sat behind him, rubbing his ears to calm him down.
"I have no idea what caused it to happen," he said, his eyes still
red and watery from the trance. "I was sitting there listening to the
speaker, and it slowly came on. I attend the ceremony every year, and it
happens every year."
Temple officials reminded visitors over a loudspeaker that the masters did not
encourage them to enter a trance.
"They only want you to be grateful for the blessing," they said.
Thailand’s sacred tattoos are believed to bring different types of good
fortune, including protection, power, good luck and prosperity.
To harness the power of the sacred ink, disciples are instructed to follow
basic Buddhist precepts, including not taking life and not consuming
intoxicants, among others.
Still, few seemed sure what exactly causes the trance state.
"In theory, the ’wicha’ is being awakened, the magic implanted in them,
this metaphysical substance that’s been planted in their bodies by the
master," said Joe Cummings, the author of Sacred Tattoos of Thailand and a
recent TEDx Talk speaker on the subject.
"When they first have their tattoos done, they go into trance, and then
when it’s recharged, it happens again because it’s being reawakened," he
told dpa.
In recent years, the popularity of traditional Thai tattoos, known as"sak
yant," has extended beyond the country’s borders, and many Westerners now
appreciate their magical import.
Scattered throughout the crowd at Wat Bang Phra were many foreigners whose
bodies were covered in Thai sacred tattoos.
"My German family thinks I’m crazy," said Frank Kruppa, whose chest,back
and upper arms are inked with 108 tattoos from the temple.
"But the tattoos have been very helpful for me, very powerful."
Of the trances, Kruppa said he felt capable of entering such a state himself,
but that he’s "afraid of what would happen."
"I want to control my emotions. It’s better for me," said the Berlin
native, who is now a longtime resident of Bangkok.
The Hollywood star Angelina Jolie helped popularize Thai tattoos around the
world when she had a "ha taew" (five lines) design inked on her left
shoulder blade in 2003.
Jolie returned the following year and had a large, Thai-style tiger tattooed on
her lower back.
The first tattoo given to disciples at Wat Bang Phra is known as the"gao
yord," which translates as the nine peaks, representative of the
cosmological Mount Meru in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.
The interest in Thai tattoos has grown such that one high-end Bangkok resort,
The Siam Hotel, created its own tattoo salon on site where a master from Wat
Bang Phra inks guests.
"We’ve done (actress) Michelle Rodriguez, NBA basketball stars, it’s
great," said Jason Friedman, the former general manager of The Siam Hotel
who oversaw the project.
Friedman attended the ceremony at Wat Bang Phra with hotel guests,and he rolled
up his short sleeves to reveal intricate Thai tattoo patterns covering his
upper arms and shoulders.
"I get a tingle when they chant, but I’ve never gone into a trance,"
Friedman said.
An Italian man who asked not to be identified said he personally experienced the
trance in previous years.
"I still haven’t figured it out," he said. "I consider myself to
be very grounded. I was in shock. When it happened to me, I went through a
stage like I was in and out of a dream.
"It was like I kept coming and going in a conscious state of being."