Thousands celebrate Saint John the Baptist in 'Mud People' Festival

W/S 'Mud people' walking covered in banana leaves, Bibiclat
M/S 'Mud people' walking
M/S Villagers attending mass
C/U Mud person at mass
M/S Villagers attending mass
SOT Roberto Dejoya, Retired Government Employee (Tagalog): "Celebrating St. John every year for as long as I live is really gratifying. It is very uplifting for me."
W/S Priest celebrates mass
M/S Embossed images of tied villagers kneeling down
SOT Roberto Dejoya, Retired Government Employee (Tagalog): "One of the biggest honours and things to a family is when the kids, especially the three boys, never cause problems. That is what I ask for when I celebrate St. John here in our village, Bibiclat, in my hometown Aliaga, Nueva Ecija."
M/S Villagers attending mass
C/U Villager in prayer
M/S Candle vendors in front of church
C/U Villager receiving alms
W/S Parading villagers
W/S Parading villagers
M/S Hats hanging in front of church
W/S Saint John the Baptist Parish Church
SCRIPT
Residents of the village of Bibiclat, some 150 km (93 miles) north of Manila, participated in the 'Taong Putik' ('Mud People') Festival on Sunday to celebrate the birth of Saint John the Baptist.
The villagers started at dawn by covering themselves in mud and dried banana leaves, imitating how the men in war times celebrated in mud after being spared their lives. They walked barefoot around the village, holding candles and praying, before attending a Catholic mass.
The tradition reportedly dates back to the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in the 1940s, when Bibiclat's women prayed to St. John the Baptist to save their loved ones from execution by Japanese troops. The captives were spared by a sudden rainstorm, causing overjoyed villagers to roll in the mud. Some festival goers also claim the mud and costumes are designed to emulate the attire of St. John the Baptist who was known for wearing basic, earthly clothing.