WALK OF FAITH: FIRE WALK

The fire walking ritual is one of the highlights of the Festival of the 9-Emperor Gods. It is usually held on the last day prior to sending off the deities. Actually, the thought of walking across a pit of burning coal is daunting and frightening but scores of devotees do it each year at different Dou Mou Gongs in Malaysia.
Why do these people do it? It is an act that requires a lot of faith and also discipline as a person intending to do the walk need to go on a strict vegetarian diet and also follow all the precepts. One need not be a medium to be able to accomplish the feat, as long as one abides by the vegetarian code he/she will be protected by the divine powers of the 9-Emperor Gods. In a way it can be termed as cleansing by fire. I was told that some people do it do get rid of bad luck or to get better luck. There are those also carry some items with them when doing the fire walk,like statues of dieties, clothing of family members, cloth charms, etc.
I also learnt that the devotees who attempt this walk of faith are those who are kind of heart and with pure intentions. They do so with the aim of helping their fellow human beings to alleviate sufferings.