Japan marks 'Naked Festival'

The annual Hadaka Matsuri - or Naked Festival - has been celebrated in Japan.

At the Musubi Shinto shrine in Yotsukaido, wrestlers dressed only in white loincloths threw mud at each other and took repeated dips in the waters of a paddy field.

It is believed that taking part in the ceremony will bring a good harvest and good health for their children.

Despite the freezing weather, one of the men said he felt invigorated after his muddy dip.

"There was holiness in the air and I got charged," he said.

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.

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