Mud-smearing festival has been held on southern Japan

A traditional mud-smearing festival to chase out evil has been held on Miyakojima, in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.

The Paantou festival is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.“Paantou” refers to “demon” or “monster” in the Miyakojima dialect. But in the island’s Shimajiri district and elsewhere, it is seen as a deity of good harvests and health. People who got covered in mud said they are happy that their evil has been chased away.