By Danyal Hussain For Mailonline
Published: 18:53 GMT, 16 February 2019 | Updated: 18:54 GMT, 16 February 2019
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Around 9,000 men dressed in only loincloths gathered in Okayama, Japan to take part in the annual naked festival.
Despite freezing temperatures, the men battled to grab a pair of sacred wooden sticks (Shingi) thrown by a priest at the vibrant festival, also known as Hadaka Matsuri, at the Saidaiji Temple.
The sacred wooden sticks are guaranteed happiness and good fortune for the rest of the year, making them a popular target
The men shoved each other in hopes of retrieving the lucky batons, after donning white loincloths, put on with the help of their peers, before stepping into cold fountains, where they purified their bodies with water, and heading into the temple.
A team of men clean their bodies in a fountain before entering the temple at the Naked Festival, or Hadaka Matsuri at Saidaiji Temple in Okayama, Japan
A team of participants climb to the temple building to try and catch a sacred wooden stick at the Naked Festival, dressed in only a loincloth
Despite freezing temperatures, the men battled to grab a pair of sacred wooden sticks (Shingi) thrown by a priest at the vibrant festival
Approximately 9,000 men competed in the annual festival, wearing just a white Japanese loincloth and braving the cold while delighted crowds of women looked on
According to Japanese tradition, the person who catches the batons and thrusts them in
