Filipinos slather themselves in mud for Catholic festival

Religious rite: Devotees cover themselves with mud as they prepare to head to church to attend a religious festival in honour of St. John the Baptist, also known locally as the ‘mud people’ festival in Aliaga town, Nueva Ecija province, north of Manila. — AFP

Aliaga (Philippines): They say there’s nothing quite like it for coo­ling the blood, but for more than a thousand Filipinos at a Catholic festival, slathering their bodies in mud was a way to show devotion and humility.

The annual tradition forms part of a joyous religious festival honouring a saint they believed saved residents from execution by Japanese soldiers during World War II.