China ritual sees villagers rolling on ‘thorn bed’, suffering cuts to connect with deities
Painful event involving half-naked, ‘brave’ men attracts crowds, cheers from onlookers get louder as more blood is drawn from participants
A unique Chinese ritual called Fan Cichuang, which literally means “rolling across thorny beds,” sees half-naked participants rolling across beds made of thorny branches, has captured attention in the run up to the Lunar New Year.
Designated as an intangible cultural heritage in Guangdong province, southern China, and dubbed “the most brutal Lunar New Year folk custom”, the ritual is a popular celebratory practice in Zhanjiang during Nianli, or the Lunar New Year Fair.
Nianli often coincides with the Chinese Spring Festival but is a local event celebrated in the west of Guangdong province. It is marked by a series of unique local events.
Fan Cichuang becomes the highlight of it as men demonstrate their bravery and resilience.
The ritual begins with local residents preparing thorny tree branches, tying them together as a bed, and securing it onto “Eight Immortals tables,” a particular kind of traditional Chinese square dining table.
These tables are inspired by the tale of the Eight Immortals in Chinese mythology and symbolise a diversity of talent and the power of unity.
Brave participants in the ritual, typically young or middle-aged men, strip to their waists and roll across the thorny surface.
The intensity of the pain they endure is met with cheers from onlookers, and the deeper the thorns pierce and the more blood is drawn, the louder the cheers.
