RITES & CEREMONIES of SOUTH EAST ASIA – Vincent Peal

Published by Timeless Edition for Hunting Asia – 2025 – France

18 x 28 cm – 200 pages – Hardcover

An unflinching photographic journey into the heart of Asia’s most intense and sacred rituals.

Over the course of a year-long odyssey from Indonesia to Japan, and onward through the Trans-Siberian Railway, Belgian photographer Vincent Peal immersed himself in communities where devotion runs deep and tradition holds firm. From the trance-induced self-mutilations of the Tatung in Borneo, to the searing acts of sacrifice during Malaysia’s Thaipusam festival, to the haunting cremation rites on the banks of the Ganges—this book captures ceremonies where the body becomes a vessel for faith, pain, and transcendence.

Combining anthropological insight with raw, journalistic presence, Rites and Ceremonies of South East Asia offers a powerful visual exploration of belief, sacrifice, and spiritual ecstasy.

_ _ _ _ _ _

Annoucement by Hunting Asia headmaster Stephen Bessac :

Another good news that will keep you guys entertained while we are still working on HA volume 2 and the NAROK reprint is that we have decided, we being HUNTING ASIA and @editions_timeless, to start releasing books by other photographers who are doing or have done work related to our main content, the unknown and extreme side of Asia.

– The first book is done, it’s called « Rites and Ceremonies of South East Asia » by @vincent_peal and will be out March 28th on TIMELESS’s website. It documents various rituals from The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Borneo.

– Next one is a book called MAHSONG, by our good friend @lt_marion_cobretti and focuses on his trip to the Phuket Vegetarian Festival.