A villager, donning capes mostly of dried banana leaves and covered in mud, attends a mass in a bizarre annual ritual to venerate their patron saint, John the Baptist, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines. The “Taong Putik” or “mud people” festival in Bibiclat village dates back to the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in the 1940s. Japanese troops gathered many of the male villagers in a Bibiclat church courtyard for execution by firing squad. But after women and children prayed to Saint John to spare them, a sudden downpour saved the men, villagers say. The residents rolled in the mud in jubilation and have carried on the thanksgiving tradition ever since. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)





A villager, donning capes mostly of dried banana leaves and covered in mud, holds red and white roses as she joins a procession in a bizarre annual ritual to venerate their patron saint, John the Baptist, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)





A villager, donning capes mostly of dried banana leaves and covered in mud, holds a flower as he joins a procession in a bizarre annual ritual to venerate their patron saint, John the Baptist, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)





Villagers, donning capes mostly of dried banana leaves and covered in mud, gather for an outdoor mass in a bizarre annual ritual to venerate their patron saint, John the Baptist, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)





A villager, donning capes mostly of dried banana leaves and covered in mud, carries a cellphone while making the rounds of the houses to beg for candles in a bizarre annual ritual to venerate their patron saint, John the Baptist, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)





Fr. Elmer Villamayor blesses villagers, donning capes mostly of dried banana leaves and covered in mud, following a mass in a bizarre annual ritual to venerate their patron saint, John the Baptist, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)





A village girl, donning capes mostly of dried banana leaves and covered in mud, attends a mass in a bizarre annual ritual to venerate their patron saint, John the Baptist, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)





Villagers, donning capes mostly of dried banana leaves and covered in mud, raise their hands as a priest blesses them with holy water following a mass in a bizarre annual ritual to venerate their patron saint, John the Baptist, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)





A villager, donning cape mostly of dried banana leaves and covered in mud, wears a t-shirt printed with Pope Francis as she attends a mass in a bizarre annual ritual to venerate their patron saint, John the Baptist, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)





Villagers, donning capes made from dried banana leaves and mud, head to the church for a mass in a bizarre annual ritual to venerate their patron saint, John the Baptist, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)





Villagers soak themselves in mud before covering themselves with banana leaves before attending a mass in a bizarre annual ritual to venerate their patron saint, John the Baptist, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)





Villagers, donning capes made of dried banana leaves and mud, walk towards the church for a mass in a bizarre annual ritual to venerate their patron saint, John the Baptist, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)





Villagers, donning capes made of banana leaves and mud, walk towards the church for a mass in a bizarre annual ritual to venerate their patron saint, John the Baptist, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)





Villagers, donning capes mostly of dried banana leaves and covered in mud, attend a mass in a bizarre annual ritual to venerate their patron saint, John the Baptist, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)





Villagers, donning capes mostly of dried banana leaves and covered in mud, attend a mass in a bizarre annual ritual to venerate their patron saint, John the Baptist, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)





Hundreds of villagers, donning capes mostly of dried banana leaves and covered in mud, attend a mass in a bizarre annual ritual to venerate their patron saint, John the Baptist, Friday, June 24, 2016 at Bibiclat, Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province in northern Philippines. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)