A devotee carried pineapples on a skewer impaled through his face during the Vegetarian Festival in Thailand.

Footage shows the local carrying the tropical fruit on a long skewer stabbed through his cheek during a parade in Phuket island on October 19.

The yearly procession takes place every year at shrines across the island, where there is a hardened Thai-Chinese community. Similar events happen around Thailand among those with Chinese ancestry, but few are as extreme as those on the holiday island.

The Vegetarian Festival, also known as the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, usually takes place in the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar, typically around September or October. It has roots in ancient Chinese culture.

Participants observe a strict vegetarian or vegan diet for nine days, with some engaging in gruesome self-mutilation by stabbing their faces with sharp objects.

Devotees believe the sacrifice will cleanse their bodies and minds and invite good luck and fortune into their lives. Many participants believe it will also bestow health and spiritual strength.

This year's Vegetarian Festival will run until October 23.