Before the dance takes place, people must prepare a tray of votive offerings, which include a pig’s head, a cooked chicken, five cups of rice wine, and money
A flickering fire ready to welcome dancers
The village’s shaman announces the official reasons to host the festival and invites gods to attend the ritual with locals
Pa Then girls and men dressed in their traditional costume for the festive day
A Pa Then man jumps into the blazing fire and rolls over the fire for 5 – 10 minutes
Without any hesitation, participants bend their bodies and jump on burning charcoals. Sometimes they dig up live coals with their hands or even put a live coal in their mouth.
They dance on live coals with their bare feet, hoping to drive away evil spirits and praying for good health.
The dance is open for men aged between 15 and 50
Embers splash everywhere among the excitement of the dancers and audience members
The mystery of the dance is that despite dancing on blazing-hot coal, the dancers never suffer from any burns. Pa Then people believe that they are protected by God during the ritual.
