Nueve Noches en Llamas / Nine Nights in Flames - Phuket

Chronicles from Two ShoresDocumentary ChroniclesRituals & CultureTravel & Culture
Written By JOHN CUESTA

Short film from my coverage of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival — nine nights of fire, trance, and devotion.

Discover Nine Nights in Flames, my documentary journey through the Phuket Vegetarian Festival in Thailand — where fire, trance, devotion, and chaos transform the streets into one of Southeast Asia’s most powerful ritual landscapes.

Every year, the streets of Phuket Town erupt into a storm of firecrackers, incense, drums, and living altars. During the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, the Ma Song enter deep trance, carrying the gods through their bodies while the community surrounds them with an unbreakable pulse of faith.

Through this visual chronicle, I explore the tension between pain and devotion, chaos and clarity, and the moment when the body becomes a channel for something larger than itself.

This story is part of my series Chronicles from Two Shores, connecting ritual expressions across Asia and Latin America.

_____________________________________________

Cada octubre, Phuket estalla en fuego, humo, trance y devoción, convirtiendo la ciudad en un territorio sagrado donde el cuerpo se vuelve puente entre lo humano y lo divino.

Cada año, las calles de Phuket se convierten en un torbellino de petardos, incienso, tambores y altares vivientes. En el Festival de los Nueve Emperadores, los Ma Song entran en trance profundo, llevando a los dioses en su cuerpo mientras la comunidad mantiene el pulso que sostiene el rito.

A través de esta crónica visual exploro la tensión entre dolor y devoción, caos y claridad, y ese instante en que el cuerpo se vuelve puente para algo mayor.

Esta historia hace parte de mi serie Crónicas desde las dos orillas, que une expresiones rituales de Asia y América Latina.

Lée la crónica completa acá / Read the full chronicle on IMA Comunicaciones → Click here
VOLVER A - C R Ó N I C A S - / BACK TO - C H R O N I C L E S - / → CLICK HERE
JOHN CUESTA

John Cuesta is a passionate photographer who emerged from the vibrant streets of Bogotá, Colombia and has spent over a decade honing his craft. He enriched his journey with master's studies in artistic photography and digital post-production in Spain and is now based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he builds his documentary and artistic path through diverse portraiture.

His unique background as an architect and urban designer shapes his visual storytelling, weaving narratives with social and artistic depth. His travels across continents have given him a deeper understanding of human culture and a nuanced anthropological perspective.

With more than a decade of experience in corporate, conceptual, art portraiture, street photography, and photo documentaries, he is an accomplished photographer and educator. His award-winning work has been published in photobooks and shown in exhibitions such as "Asia: The Way Back Home", images showcasing the connection between aesthetics and human experience.

He won first place in the categories “Beauty of Victoria,” “Beauty of Melbourne,” and “Culture of Victoria” in the “How Far We Have Come” (2015) competition, organized by the Government of Victoria as part of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale in Australia. His work invites viewers on a journey of self-discovery.

Next

Sindoor Jatra: The Nepali New Year — When Vertigo Becomes Prayer. / Sindoor Jatra: el año nuevo Nepalí. Cuando el vértigo se convierte en plegaria