Mud People Festival

• Prize
  Gold in Events/Other, 2nd Place winner in Events
• Photographer
  Jophel Botero Ybiosa
• Agency / Studio
  Princess Cruise Lines
• Photo Date
  June 24, 2018

The photo depicts Mud People Festival in Nueva Ecija, Philippines on June 24, 2018. Devotees wear dried banana leaves and cover themselves with mud while offering prayer or paying homage to Saint John the Baptist. According to a local legend, the Japanese soldiers were about to execute the villagers of Aliaga during World War II. But in the midst of downpour, Japanese soldiers suddenly change their minds. Afterwards, the villagers celebrated by rolling around the muddy ground. There´s a belief that being saved from the execution is a miracle of Saint John the Baptist.