Philippine devotees wear mud and leaves for holy festival

Hundreds of Catholic devotees wrapped themselves in dried banana leaves and covered their bodies with mud on Wednesday in the Philippine village of Bibiclat, taking part in a display of faith honouring St John the Baptist. The Taong Putik, or Mud People, festival is held annually in this village in Asia’s largest Catholic nation as devotees thank the local patron saint for miracles and fulfil vows made in prayer.

Melencio Nenuda, a 39-year-old construction worker, said the mud-covered parishioners frightened him as a child and he used to hide when they passed by. But that changed when he fell seriously ill in the sixth grade and his mother prayed to St John the Baptist, vowing that he would join the tradition if he recovered. “I will continue to go back to this tradition because it gives me a good future,” said Nenuda, adding that his wife and son also participate. Devotees prepare for the observance before dawn. Heading into nearby fields around 4 am, they search for soft mud and smear it over their bodies before wrapping themselves in dried banana leaves. Once ready, they walk barefoot to St John the Baptist Church carrying only cellphones and lighted candles. As they wait for Mass to begin, hymns are sung near a small fire formed by the candle offerings.

Local church leaders say the practice began in the 1800s, when farmers smeared themselves with mud as an expression of humility, and covered themselves with the leaves to conceal their identities due to discrimination against the poor during that time.