http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3528565/I-drink-human-blood-at-vampire-parties.htmlI Drink Human Blood At Vampire Parties
By DULCIE PEARCE - The Sun (UK)
April 14, 2011AS hundreds of people swathed in black gather around tents in a field, passers-by would assume a rock festival was about to start.
But these are not goths queuing to watch Marilyn Manson - they are members of a vampire group who meet to SUCK EACH OTHER'S BLOOD.
An astonishing 3,000 people in the UK are official members of an underground vampire movement.
They gather once a month to drink blood directly from each other's bodies.
Call centre engineer "Pyretta Blaze", 24, attends the monthly vampire get-togethers which are supervised by head vampires known as Elders.
Pyretta says: "From childhood I have felt the need to drink blood and express myself as a vampire.
"I look forward to the gatherings so I can dine on blood and fulfil my craving for another month.
"It's an amazing experience. I leave feeling like I have been completely reborn and energised."
Pyretta claims that people attending the bizarre gatherings are given a psychological test by the Elders, who oversee the mental health of the part-time vampires.
She says: "Living as a vampire is a serious commitment.
"The Elders need to know that people who come to the gatherings aren't just movie-obsessed kids who think it's cool.
"We are all very serious about our lifestyle and the rituals it involves.
"Being a vampire is a lifelong commitment.
"Many of us go to gatherings with committed partners whose blood is the only one we will drink. Others come alone.
"I have a female friend who I feed on at the parties.
"I enjoy feeding on her and she is happy to be fed upon.
"It is all very safe, as everyone who attends must have a clean STI test, including hepatitis and HIV. There is also a nurse or doctor at every gathering who is part of the vampire lifestyle."
Throughout the summer months vampire gatherings are held in marquees grouped on private farmland.
One is known as the cleansing tent, where sterilising equipment is provided to ensure the safety of the knives, razor blades or specialised and extremely sharp ceramic fangs the vampires use to draw blood.
Another is the feeding tent.
During the winter, the events take place in manor houses.
Pyretta says: "A surprising number of British high society are into vampirism.
"All the parties are very private and a safe way of expressing yourself as a vampire. If someone attends who doesn't have a partner, there is another tent where Elders will introduce possible feeding or feeder partners to each other."
The Elders - who wear masks to conceal their identities - also give lessons on where and how to safely extract blood.
Pyretta, from Swansea, says: "We mainly suck from the neck, chest, shoulder, arm or leg. I put in some sharp fangs to suck the blood from my partner. It makes me feel truly like a vampire.
"The Elders teach us how to cut so we do not scar and we are taught how to suck without causing damage. Anyone who breaks the rules is barred for life."
Pyretta feels that she had a yearning to drink blood from the age of ten, when she started reading a book about witchcraft in her local library.
She says: "I decided that witchcraft was something that I wanted to follow for the rest of my life.
"I started to wear dark clothing and over the years read more about vampirism. I quickly learned that it was a real way of life and many people in the UK live as a vampire.
"By the age of 15, I had committed my life to vampirism. Obviously my mum was shocked but over the years she has realised that my being a vampire isn't just a phase or some sort of sex fetish - it's a way of life."
Pyretta was only 15 when she had her first taste of someone else's blood.
She recalls: "I was with my first boyfriend and told him about my interest in vampirism and bloodletting, showed him all my research and sterilised everything. The moment I tasted his blood, I felt enlightened - like a new person. It was an experience I knew I had to re-live for the rest of my life."
Pyretta's feeding partner does not want to be identified.
Pyretta says: "She has been my partner for several years and we wear matching necklaces to show we are together at gatherings.
"Our relationship is not a sexual one but very special and loving."
Before a gathering Pyretta says that both she and her feeding partner are careful to watch what they eat.
She says: "We don't eat garlic, chilli, curries or very spicy food for 48 hours before a gathering as it taints the taste of the blood.
"Instead we eat lots of cinnamon-flavoured foods and Marmite - as it sweetens the blood."
At home Pyretta has an extensive collection of vampire books and a coffin that she used to sleep in - until it started to give her spine problems.
She reveals: "I am upgrading to a casket soon and I will sleep in that so it's better for my back."
Although the hit Twilight films and TV shows such as True Blood and The Vampire Diaries have increased interest in the undead, Pyretta dislikes what they have done for the vampire community.
She says: "These films have made a lot of young teens interested in trying vampirism but the reality is not like a Hollywood movie.
"Everyone who attends must be over 18 and consenting to either being a feeder or fed.
"There is no Robert Pattinson there to whisk you away.
"Being a vampire is a wonderful but very serious lifestyle choice, not a fantasy.
"It must be respected, enjoyed and lived safely."
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