Philippines mud festival

A Filipino Catholic devotee, who soaked himself in mud and wrapped in mostly banana leaves, walks around a village to beg for candles prior to attending a mass to celebrate the Feast of Saint John the Baptist at Bibiclat village, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines, Sunday, June 24, 2012.

Traditionally the Feast of St. John the Baptist is celebrated in this predominantly Roman Catholic nation in Asia by dousing unwary people with water, but in this sleepy village of Bibiclat, the residents soak themselves in muddy rice fields and don banana leaves instead. The unique celebration has now become a tourist attraction.

Credit: AP Photo/Bullit Marquez