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mena2 hours ago
Mulyadi pounds a nail into his nostril, leaving it embedded in his face, horrifying a group of slack-jawed spectators of debus, an Indonesian tradition blending martial arts with grotesque self-injury.
Some of his audience may have had enough, but Mulyadi isn't done yet.
As hypnotic drum-and-flute music plays in the background, he produces a bowl full of nails and appears to stuff a fistful of them into his mouth, swallowing like a champion speed eater. He opens his mouth and sticks out his tongue for any doubters left in the room.
Many outside superstitious Indonesia would write off the Javanese art as all smoke-and-mirrors -- and sleight of hand undoubtedly plays a part. But practitioners insist it is divine intervention that keeps them from a trip to the hospital.
"Debus is real, with real blood and real machetes. There are no tricks," says Mulyadi, 50.
He declines to say how his body can supposedly process - and expel - the nails, calling it a "secret".
"They may come out in a few days or they may stay in there, depending on my mood," he laughs.
Debus was born in the 16th century during the reign of the first sultan of the Banten kingdom, who exploited its claims to invincibility to galvanise opposition against Dutch colonisers.
'It's so extreme'
Once a favourite at weddings and other celebrations including -- improbably -- circumcisions, debus starts with a series of martial arts moves and prayers to the heavens for protection from injury.
Debus master Aris Afandi puts it to the test as he goes at a fellow fighter's arm with a machete, although his foot pounding and yelling seems to have more impact than the cut.
Indonesia's debus fighters: tough as nails https://t.co/WEU1Bxxfrn pic.twitter.com/wo7UfuOwWOAfandi chants a prayer and wipes some blood from his comrade's arm to reveal what appears to be only a minor injury.
- AFP news agency (@AFP) June 24, 2018
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