Tattoo Turmoil: Buddhist rejuvenate the magical protection of tattoos at feverish festival

DEVOTED Buddhists enter feverish trances as they recharge the 'magical protection' of their sacred tattoos

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A man bows his head as a monk adds to his tattoos during the festivities

Every March, pilgrims gather at Wat Bang Phra - a large Buddhist temple near Thailand’s capital Bangkok for the tattoo festival.

In the days before the main event, monks tattoo hundreds, if not thousands, of Buddhists eager to reaffirm the magical protection infused into their intricate body art.

Assistants help to keep the man's skin and body in place as the monk works on him

Nomadic photographer Claudio Sieber travelled to the temple to document the intense trances of the attendees and bask in the furious energy of the festival.

The 34-year-old said: “I have always been fascinated by the spiritual background of Thailand’s ancient tattoo techniques.

A worshipper in a trance crawls toward the stage as he is "possessed" by his tattoos

“My Bangkokian friends told me about the event when I asked them about the Sak Yant traditions. There is literally no English information available online about the event’s schedule. It took me a while to find out the exact date - every year is different.

“Furthermore after King Bhumibol’s death, a lot of festivities were cancelled throughout Thailand - even into 2017, but a friend called the Wat and confirmed the date for me.”

A devoted Buddhist brings his hands together in prayer during the feverish celebrations

During the feverish three hour event pilgrims are possessed by the energy of their tattoos - sometimes echoing the maniacal laugh and crooked walk of the old man or embodying the rabid energy of the monkey god Hanuman.

Sieber said: “For some pilgrims, the power overcomes them. Sitting cross-legged under the glaring sun, one after the other they enter a trans called Khong Khuen - magical force rising - and get possessed by their tattoos.

Onlookers help a man as he comes out of his trance and falls to the floor

“It usually starts with a howl or a deep moan, followed by a distorted facial expression. Those who get possessed by the old man act as if they walk with an invisible cane while laughing maniacally.

Caught in a trance a man rushes toward the stage as his tattoos "possess" him

“Those possessed by the monkey god Hanuman leap up screaming, sprinting full-speed towards a statue of their former master Luan Por Phern. After they started I learned to be aware of these sudden mutations, since one chubby monkey god tripped and rolled over me on his way to the shrine.

A helper cradles a worshipper's head as he comes out of his trance state

“To stop the maniacs from reaching the shrine, around two dozen paramedics pull them out of the trance by rubbing their ears and hugging them back into the real world.

“Some scenes reminded me of zombie movies like Dawn of the Dead, especially when they start crawling on the ground or running towards you. As the believers start to get possessed their eyes start to see through you, the devilish laughs making it even more dramatic.”