Adherence to the vegetarian diet is paramount during this time of the year
, but beyond the eating habits of the people during the festival is the most famous part: the ceremonies. Fire walking and body piercing are generally done to prove a person's physical prowess to the gods, and these practices have continued over the years, regardless of how barbaric they might seem to the rest of the known world. But there are also a variety of other ceremonies held at the temples which are not nearly so dangerous, including parades and offerings of fruit and food made to the gods in exchange for blessings for the year to come.