Filipino devotees slather themselves in soil

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 on Sunday, 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. Men, women and children sat in soggy rice paddies before dawn in the town of Aliaga, 100 kilometres north of Manila, covering each other in muck before donning dried banana leaves in the annual "Mud People" festival.

A tradition that draws the faithful and tourists alike, the event celebrates the feast of John the Baptist with devotees taking part in what they see as an act of humility and penance that imitates a saint who preached and lived a life of poverty in the desert.

"I got goosebumps when I joined the festival. The Lord is showering us with love," 35-year-old businessman and village official Win Javaluyas told AFP. "I am so happy. This is one way of being closer to God, to purify your intention and be holy." The Philippines is Asia’s Catholic bastion with a flock of more than 80 million. Spain colonised the archipelago in the 16th century and spread the faith.