Magic tattoos

Cambodia - For centuries, people in Cambodia have endured hours of discomfort to get mystical tattoos they believed would give them magical powers. Magical tattoos are reputed to have many powers. Soldiers got them to repel bullets or to achieve invisibility to enemies. Others had them to bring good luck or to be more popular. An adviser on mores and customs at Cambodia’s Buddhist Institute said, “Tattoos were really popular among Cambodian men in the past. Almost every Cambodian male was tattooed.” 

Tattoo artist, Chan Trea pointed out that few of those who know how to do magic tattoos remain among the living. The skin art is done by traditional healers or Buddhist monks who use special needles and recite magic spells. Hindu gods, characters from Pali and Sanskrit, or supernatural creatures are the usual images. "I guess, in the future, things like magic will be very rare in this country,” said Trea.