Getting a Mystical Tattoo at the Wat Bang Phra Temple

Every March, devotees and tourists descend upon the Wat Bang Phra temple to partake in the fervent and fascinating rituals of its “sak yant“ tattoo festival. In Thailand, sak yant tattoos are widely believed to bestow magical powers upon their wearers. There is arguably no better place to witness these powers on display than the festival’s famous Wai Khru gathering, where freshly inked men become wildly possessed by the spirits of their animal tattoos.