A muddied girl, donning a cape made of dried banana leaves, collects candles before attending a mass to celebrate the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist in the village of Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines, June 24, 2015. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

In the village of Bibiclat in Nueva Ecija, Philippines, residents honor their patron saint, John the Baptist by smearing themselves in mud, wearing mud-soaked capes made of dried banana leaves during a hot summer day, and celebrating a festival called "Taong Putik" or "Mud People."

The "Mud People" Festival is a , during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, Bibiclat village chief Norberto Eugenio told the Associated Press.

It is believed that during the occupation of the Philippines, a group of Japanese soldiers were ambushed by guerrilla rebels. In retaliation, the Japanese officers ordered all the men of the community executed. The Filipino men were about to be shot at noon but heavy rain poured, hampering the execution, and causing the Japanese soldiers to leave. The people then celebrated, playing in the mud until they were covered like "mud people." They attributed the miracle to St. John the Baptist, and people have carried on the tradition and celebrated every June 24th since then.

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Village elders say people who attend the unique celebration for a family member's good health, according to Rappler.com.

Hundreds of devotees, some covered in "mud capes" from head to foot collect candles from bystanders along the village's main street on their way to St. John the Baptist’s Church, where they pray for their wishes to be fulfilled. The former parish priest of the village, William Villviza, told AP the mud also "reminds one of the lowness of one's being" and enables one to be "close to the earth."

The festival has drawn local and foreign tourists and devotees every year and the village and festival organizers had requested that the "Mud People" Festival be officially , according to the Philippine Star.Board member Joseph Ortiz said the Guinness World Records should also recognize the festival for having the most number of people who bathe in mud.

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