Tattoo Voodoo

Here are some pictures I found on the web that were taken at a unique Tatoo Festival (here and here), which is held at temple outside of Bangkok each year.


These tattoos are not of the typical "I heart Mom" variety. They consist of sacred texts and ancient religious symbols that possess special powers. They can protect the wearer from bad luck, black magic, knives and bullets. Apparently, the devotees are generally members of Thailand's underworld and need such tattoos to survive in their line of work.


During the ceremony, attendees can get their tattoos blessed by the temple monks or get new ones to upgrade their tattoo protection. They also meditate until they go into a kind of trance and take on the characteristics of the animals in their tattoos - whether that be a tiger, lion, monkey, snake. See below.