ALIAGA (PHILIPPINES):
Early on Sunday morning in the Bibiclat village of Aliaga town, 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Manila, men, women and children smeared themselves with mud from paddy fields and covered up with dried twigs and branches as part of a little-known Catholic festival.
Later they gathered together for a Holy Mass to honor their patron saint John the Baptist, as reported by an efe-epa journalist. Little was known about the Mud People festival, locally known as the ‘Taong Putik Festival,’ until recently, when it grabbed prominence globally for showcasing a unique local culture.
The festivities surrounding the day revolve around thanksgiving and praying for good health, a grand harvest, and protection from dangers. Local legend has it that in 1944 the saint had saved residents of the town from execution by Japanese soldiers by making it rain heavily and, since then, the villagers roll in mud every year to show their gratitude to the saint.
The Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist is also celebrated as the Wattah-Wattah festival in San Juan City, where residents douse each other and passers-by with water to celebrate the saint, whose is associated with water as according to Christian myth, he baptized Jesus Christ. The Philippines is a Catholic stronghold in Asia with more than 80 million people who practice the faith.
