Our muddy world

Combine two of the most common materials found on the surface of our planet - dirt and water - and you get mud, which, in turn, can be played in, struggled through, rubbed on for medicinal value, or just worn for fun. Collected over the past few months from festivals sporting events and more, you'll find here photographs of people around the world playing with, wallowing in, wearing and just dealing with mud - one of the filthiest entries on the Big Picture to date. (31 photos total)

A man covered in mineral-rich black mud looks on while resting on the banks of the salt water Tus lake in Russia's Khakassia region, about 370 km (230 miles) southwest of the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, July 12, 2009. (REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin)

Players vie for the ball at the 2009 Swamp Soccer World Championships near Hyrynsalmi, Finland July 17, 2009. A natural swamp outside the town of Hyrynsalmi was converted into 22 playing fields for the 325 teams, made up of almost 5000 players from Finland, Norway, Russia, Germany, France and The Netherlands. (REUTERS/Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva) #

A player covered in mud competes in the Swamp Football World Championships in Hyrynsalmi, Finland on July 17, 2009. (VESA MOILANEN/AFP/Getty Images) #

Tourists play with mud during the Boryeong Mud Festival on Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, south of Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, July 11, 2009. The 12th annual mud festival features mud wrestling, mud sliding and a mud king contest. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man) #

Therese Hebda, 7, of Trenton, Michigan plays with hundreds of other children in a giant lake of mud at the annual Mud Day event July 7, 2009 in Westland, Michigan. The event is sponsored by the Wayne County Parks and Recreation Department and the mud hole is made with approximately 200 tons of topsoil and 20,000 gallons of water. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images) #

Jockey Nestor Maldonado, 28, of San Juan, Puerto Rico finishes second riding Win Jane's Heart on June 24, 2007 at Suffolk Downs in East Boston, Massachusetts. "If its raining, I don't care. I need to ride. The mud is secondary. Mud is mud. It hurts a little bit. It feels like sand blasting. Sometimes you can't see. I have five goggles and I keep pulling them down over my face... Sometimes the mud comes in clumps, sometimes it comes like needles. I only like the way it tastes if I win." (Boston Globe Staff Photo) #

Suffolk Downs handicapper amd publicist Jessica Paquette walks across the muddy track in high heels on June 24th, 2009. "Honestly I'm thinking 'don't trip, don't fall'. Why would I wear high heels? Because they match my dress." (Boston Globe Staff Photo) #

Two festival goers covered with mud enjoy the Music Open air Festival St.Gallen, in Switzerland Saturday, June 27, 2009. (AP Photo/KEYSTONE/Ennio Leanza) #

A visitor covered with mud during the Music Openair Festival in St.Gallen, Switzerland, Saturday, June 27, 2009. (AP Photo/Keystone, Ennio Leanza) #

Nepalese farmers splash mud at each other as they plant rice in a field on the outskirts of Kathmandu on June 29, 2009. The farmers of Nepal celebrate National Paddy Day on 'Asar 15' of the Nepali calendar each year as they begin their annual rice planting season. (PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP/Getty Images) #

A woman smiles as she and other Nepalese farmers splash mud at each other as they plant rice in a field on the outskirts of Kathmandu on June 29, 2009. The farmers were celebrating National Paddy Day as they began their annual rice planting season. (PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Barbara "Redneck Queen" Bailey shows the crowd the proper way to do the Bellyflop during the 13th Annual Summer Redneck Games July 11, 2009 in East Dublin, Georgia. Bailey won the event several years running in the 1990s. Started in 1996 as a spoof for the summer Olympics held in Atlanta, the games feature bobbing for pigs feet, hub cap hurling and the mud pit belly flop contest for trophies. (Stephen Morton/Getty Images) #

T.J. Kersey of Eatonton, Georgia looks for friends after the Mud Pit Bellyflop contest during the 13th Annual Summer Redneck Games July 11, 2009 in East Dublin, Georgia. (Stephen Morton/Getty Images) #

Pat Jones competes in the Mud Pit Bellyflop contest during the 13th Annual Summer Redneck Games July 11, 2009 in East Dublin, Georgia - Jones won the event for the first time. (Stephen Morton/Getty Images) #

Emile Blair, 11, of Westland, Michigan gives herself a mud hair-do while playing with hundreds of other children in a giant lake of mud at the annual Mud Day event July 7, 2009 in Westland, Michigan. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images) #

Women soldiers crawl through mud during a marine corp training session at a military base in Cavite city, south of Manila July 8, 2009. The Philippine marines have started recruiting women soldiers for front line duties including fighting Islamic militants on the restive southern Philippines island of Mindanao where an Italian red cross engineer has been held captive for nearly six months by Muslim rebels linked to Jemaah Islamiah. (REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco) #

A Catholic devotee, covered in mud and donning dried banana leaves, attends a mass in celebration of Saint John The Baptist at Aliaga township, Nueva Ecija province, 150 kilometers north of Manila, Philippines on Wednesday June 24, 2009. Hundreds of devotees in this remote township cover themselves with mud and wear banana leaves in a unique practice seeking blessings and celebrating abundant harvest. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) #

Asia Rivera, 5, left, and Jasmine Miles, 5, get a face full mud after they slid into a mud pit during the Seventh annual Monsoon Madness at Frontier Park in Queen Creek, Arizona on Saturday July 11, 2009. (AP Photo/East Valley Tribune, Darryl Webb) #

Participants enjoy the mud during the 12th Annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach on July 11, 2009 in Boryeong, South Korea. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) #

Michael Fearron from Pennsylvania with dried mud on his face, during the Boryeong Mud Festival on Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, south of Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, July 11, 2009. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man) #

Participants gather in the mud during the 12th Annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach on July 11, 2009 in Boryeong, South Korea. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) #

Unidentified visitors help each other to smear mud over their faces and bodies in a traditional practice where the mud is used as a cure for various bodily ailments. The black mud comes from the lake near the Black sea town of Pomorie, east of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia. Phoot taken on Saturday, July 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Petar Petrov) #

Tourists covered with colored mud during the Boryeong Mud Festival on Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, south of Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, July 11, 2009. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man) #

Kelli Yokom (center), 13, of Edford, Michigan and her friend Stephanie Janssen (right), 9, of Redford play with hundreds of other children in a giant lake of mud at the annual Mud Day event July 7, 2009 in Westland, Michigan.(Bill Pugliano/Getty Images) #

Justin Betteridge from Britain takes a sunbath after mud painting during the Boryeong Mud Festival on Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, south of Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, July 11, 2009. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man) #

A man smears a woman with mineral-rich black mud on the banks of the salt water Tus lake in Russia's Khakassia region, about 370 km (230 mi) southwest of the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk on July 12, 2009. (REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin) #

A Russian tourist covers herself with mineral-rich mud July 12, 2009 at Kalia beach on the shores of the northern Dead Sea in the West Bank. (David Silverman/Getty Images) #

Tourists pose for photographs as they play with mud during the Boryeong Mud Festival at a beach in Boryeong, about 190 km (118 miles) southwest of Seoul, July 11, 2009. (REUTERS/Yang Young-Seok/Yonhap) #

A competitor crawls through the mud in the barbed wire challenge during the 'Tough Guy and Gal' multi sport race at Ti Papa Equestrian And Special Events Centre on July 5, 2009 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Sandra Mu/Getty Images) #

A search and rescue dog helps search for victims at the scene of a mountain landslide in Khen Len village, in Vietnam's northern Bac Kan province, July 7, 2009. Floods in the north of the country killed at least 34 people. (REUTERS/Kham) #

A woman covered in mineral mud stands by the Dead Sea on May 28, 2009. Geologist Eli Raz says a recent sinkhole phenomenon, underground craters that can burrow to the surface in an instant, sucking in whatever lies above, stems from a dire water shortage, compounded in recent years by a growing population and robust tourism and chemical industries in the Dead Sea area. (AP Photo/Dan Balilty) #

More links and information

Boryeong Mud Festival - Official site

Redneck Games - Official site

Swamp Soccer World Championship - Official site

< Back to front page

What? There are no photos of Caving; the sport where you actually get down in the mud.

Posted by JoeZo July 20, 09 01:01 PM

#8 - The ladie at right reminded me an Uruk-hai, from Lord of the Rings! :D

Posted by Luciano Stabel July 20, 09 01:02 PM

FANTASTIC PICS, HEALTH, FUN, WAR, NATURAL DISASTERS, AND SPORTS

Posted by BULDOZZER July 20, 09 01:13 PM

seem like humans all over the world love mud :-D

Posted by Lunik July 20, 09 01:14 PM

Nice, reminds me of playing football on a rainy Sunday morning ^^.

Posted by Leon July 20, 09 01:17 PM

Lots of happy (muddy) faces there -- that's nice to see. :']

Posted by Kort July 20, 09 01:24 PM

That's a nice session again ! I'd love to try that football game in mud !

Posted by Guildas July 20, 09 01:24 PM

I love the colors in #23.

Posted by Pam Phillips July 20, 09 01:52 PM

mud mud beautiful mud - what could connect people more than this -

Posted by sally July 20, 09 01:57 PM

I like the diversity of mud colores

Posted by Nabeel Kadhim Abbood July 20, 09 02:02 PM

Russia, Finland, Korea, US, Switzerland, Nepal, India, Georgia, Philippines, Bulgaria, West Bank, New Zealand and Vietnam.

You missed Africa and Latin America, aren't we part of the world? =(

Posted by excluded July 20, 09 02:09 PM

I had no idea mud came in so many colors.

Posted by kalisa July 20, 09 02:11 PM

Nice Pictures. I like watching people around the world just having fun! Maybe conflicts around the world could be settled by having a mud fight instead. Its dirty but it sure looks fun!

Posted by Peter July 20, 09 02:23 PM

The girl on the left in #8 and the girl on the left in #26 look so so.. f* hot.

Posted by excited July 20, 09 02:27 PM

29 has the most wonderful expression.

Thanks for this, I couldn't help but grin.

Posted by Tamara July 20, 09 02:36 PM

i like #28

Posted by ignazio July 20, 09 02:56 PM

#8 really sexy!

Posted by burp July 20, 09 03:01 PM

Russian girls are very hot !

Posted by lluis July 20, 09 03:29 PM

Great pictures, #7 !!

Posted by Erik van Erne, Milieunet Foundation July 20, 09 03:36 PM

Awesome pics... I wanna to do it as well :)

Posted by Rahul S July 20, 09 04:07 PM

#19 reminds me of Han Solo being frozen in Carbonite...great pics!

Posted by DSO July 20, 09 04:28 PM

Wow, I can't believe the only Mud Event from New England is missing.

The Annual Mud Bowl from North Conway, NH.

Good job My Taylor.

http://www.newhampshire.com/article.aspx?headline=Annual+Mud+Bowl+sloshes+into+North+Conway&articleid=2331

http://americanfestivalsproject.net/2008/09/10/world-mud-bowl-championships-north-conway-nh/

Posted by sportsAficionado July 20, 09 04:57 PM

This is such a lovely series, just puts you in a great mood. I love all of them, and the genuine pure emotion shown in them. Fantastic set of images, once again proving that The Big Picture is THE site for photojournalism on the net. Thank you so much for doing what you do, never stop.

Posted by Frederik July 20, 09 04:59 PM

OH MY GOD! THE #1 PICTURE IS REALLY HORRIBLE. ON SCREEN THE FIRST I SAW TWO EYES, FOR A GLANCE IT LOOKS HORRIBLE... BUT OTHER PICS R VERY COOL...

Posted by IQBAL July 20, 09 05:31 PM

First, this was a great photo set. I didn't realize there were so many mud-related festivals around the world, especially in the US alone.

But, I was disappointed to see that these are all the same images for the Boryeong Mud Festival that I've been seeing for over a week. Seem that it's all the same 12 - 15 pictures over and over again.

The part that bothers me is that there is a disproportionate focus on the "foreigners" (non-Koreans) attending the festival, at least in the widely published pictures. Non-Koreans only total about 4% of the 2 MILLION people that attend. The Korean media's fascination/obsession with them, rather than the festival as a whole, is both creepy and lazy.

There are many other good pictures at the Chicago Tribune:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-south-korean-mud-festival-pictures,0,2989960.photogallery

Posted by Mike in Daegu July 20, 09 08:56 PM

to #24: Horrible or not horrible, but mud of the Tus lake help to my mother to beat a melanoma (skin`s cancer)

Posted by Ivan Taranov July 20, 09 09:19 PM

I love dirty women =)

Posted by PEPPER July 20, 09 11:05 PM

That was very cool,glad I listered to you and took a look,very good,take care,gonna be looking for more from you,Thanks!

Posted by Anonymous July 20, 09 11:33 PM

#22 The Skin of Evil!

Posted by khalse July 21, 09 12:01 AM

This is the stuff that make corporations like Proctor & Gamble quite wealthy. ;)

Posted by JM July 21, 09 01:24 AM

Wonderful!
There's a local festival called Maramadi (Kerala, India) where you race yoked bulls through paddy fields. That's quite muddy again.

Here are some pics
http://www.flickr.com/photos/harimenon4u/2864724646/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/p-sandeep/2731510767/

Posted by Alosh July 21, 09 02:30 AM

disgusting

Posted by kinnuke July 21, 09 02:49 AM

12# 14# amazing photos, very good!

Posted by ram July 21, 09 03:04 AM

O-o-o, it's for me...

Posted by michael July 21, 09 03:38 AM

so funny !

Posted by stregoc July 21, 09 07:43 AM

Iech... I disgusting...

Posted by Daniela from Brazil July 21, 09 07:51 AM

It's not the first time "The Big Picture" is ignoring the existence of Israel. Why do all the Dead Sea pictures don't say they were taken in Israel? All other pictures have this data. You just lost a fan "Big Picture"

Posted by Peter July 21, 09 08:43 AM

missing one from the great cross country running theme
oostende 2001 as example

Posted by nicolap July 21, 09 08:50 AM

I fell in love with mud throughout these wonderful and happy pictures, often catching myself smiling at those who were smiling in the images and so clearly having the times of their lives... During this time, I even considered going out to the front yard, digging a hole and filling it with some water. Maybe even invite a few friends and family over to play some great muddy soccer or just wrestle around and giggle our problems away.
Cover our shame with wet earth.

The thought alone made me feel.. warmer and content. Imagining encasing my body in solid mud with the people I love most was one of the most secure and content feelings I had experienced in awhile.

I had it all planned out. As I scrolled through the images, I brought up my contact list and was going to forward my brilliant proposal of a great time as well as the fantastic images in hopes of getting my friends and family to see the light. This was going to be what ended all internal conflict. This was going to be what would hold our family and friendships together. We would find common happiness through a very natural means, and I would be the hero to start it all! Everyone I know would label me the sole savior of every relationship we had started, ended, and would soon begin.
I would write a book on how to fix friendships, families and relationships with one of the simplest and cheapest means! No, I would appear on Oprah and become a temporary celebrity and household name as America covered itself in mud and celebrated love and peace!
No, I would do both! First the book and then a guest appearance on Oprah! Maybe even one day, I would appear as a character on Southpark as they would find a way to mock my great ability to see a good idea and turn it into a great one that the entire world would enjoy!

From the moment I lay eyes on this Boston gallery, I had my life and happiness planned out for the rest of my life. From that point on, which was about image 26 or 27 by that time, I knew just how to fix the world.

... And then #30 reminded me that mud kills.

Posted by Orbitgum@Reddit.com July 21, 09 08:58 AM

pic 27 - it's "Israel", not west bank

Posted by mika July 21, 09 10:27 AM

The Russian girls in #26 are gorgeous...

Posted by Daniel July 21, 09 11:12 AM

what a bunch of muddy happy people!

Posted by Jenny July 21, 09 12:10 PM

#7 is awesome.

Posted by moi July 21, 09 12:39 PM

What??? Not a single pic of pro female nude mud wrestlers?
What kind of "news" organization are you running?

Posted by diebor July 21, 09 01:10 PM

I like how #29 says "a competitor" since it's the "Tough Guy and Gal" race and it's unclear as to whether that's a guy or a gal.

Posted by mdmadph July 21, 09 02:51 PM

#10 is making me think of when I was young working in the rice field, it is most
fun.

Posted by missing the fun July 21, 09 03:31 PM

The black mud is really cool. Never seen that before.

Posted by Andy July 21, 09 03:38 PM

let the children play with the mud, it's look so cool...

Posted by ethanol July 21, 09 03:54 PM

#12 is my favourite.

Thanks

Posted by stéphanie July 21, 09 04:12 PM

#26 Russians do it with love

Posted by torussiawithlove July 21, 09 07:23 PM

mud has never been more beautiful. incredible photos.

Posted by Animesh July 21, 09 10:44 PM

You neglected one other major mud festival. "Bloco da Lama" or mud block, in Paraty, Brazil during carnaval. Google up some images and u will be impressed.

Posted by Ariel July 21, 09 11:13 PM

Oops! They are unbelievable photos! Why people can play �with mud and feel happy with it. I have never tried to play with mud before.
the man in photo #25 is strange.

Posted by chuyen July 22, 09 02:59 AM

#27 was taken in Kaila beach of the Dead Sea in -Israel-. #31 also.
Why not to mention that the Dead Sea is in Israel...?

Posted by John July 22, 09 03:44 AM

nice post guys :)

Posted by conrad July 22, 09 09:05 AM

I think it's funny.

Posted by Anonymous July 22, 09 12:33 PM

muito bom
me lembro de quando era crian�a

Posted by Tiago July 22, 09 12:38 PM

#12 GERONIMOOOO
So funny, thanks for all the smiles.

-----
On a sidenote, it saddens me that trolls have set their camps at The Big Picture. To all the people who complain about your country not being included, your favorite festival, that x or y activity is a waste of time/resources/pollutes (other posts than this one) etc, stop being such whiners and go complain somewhere else.

Posted by ko July 22, 09 12:39 PM

I love the girl in the left in #26 :D

Posted by ryan July 22, 09 01:26 PM

# 18 is amazing .. the innocence and fun with Mud !!!! gr8 Job Big picture
P.S we shall even bring politics with something such a trivial "MUD" , and wage wars on each side of the BANK ... come on guys give PEACE and FUN a chance , it doesnt really matter where Dead Sea is .

Posted by Apollo July 22, 09 02:21 PM

You forgetting the Mud marathon in Schermerhorn(the Netherlands)

http://www.mijnalbum.nl/Foto-8GXYYUT7.jpg

Posted by Jandale July 22, 09 04:08 PM

Allscenes of fun, and then you have to throw in #30!

Posted by Jonathan July 22, 09 04:34 PM

Superb...what a photography and what an event..it was an amazing time i spent watching these photos. Those folks in the pics are really lucky that they had an event to enjoy..

Posted by Aswini Kumar July 23, 09 12:33 AM

#8 Uruk hai...from LOTR

haa haa haa haa...lolzzzz

still lolzzzzzzz

@2, you are not only crazy like me, but nasty too..

lolzzz
Thanks as always Alan!!

Posted by Brahmin July 23, 09 02:21 AM

very cool!

Posted by zorbarb July 23, 09 10:28 AM

hi, I took some photos in a didgeridoo meeting in Ibort, a village in the Pirenees in Huesca (Spain) there were people&mud as well
took them just few days before you published this ones...
follow the link
http://picasaweb.google.es/eduarmerchan/Ibort_2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCPyw5u6gi6ajxwE&feat=directlink#5357997835302773314

Love

of cours

Posted by Eduar July 23, 09 10:48 AM

blblblblblbl !!!!!! funny :)

Posted by Loki July 24, 09 01:17 PM

Girl on the right in pic 1#0 is so cute!

Posted by taz July 24, 09 04:54 PM

Amaaaaaaaaaaazing..... I would like to participate next time...:)

Posted by Tabi July 26, 09 06:42 AM

Little, little parasites, crawling up your orifices. Comforting thought.

Posted by Barb July 26, 09 06:54 PM

#30 - the dark side of mud. Everything else looks FUN!

Posted by Richard July 28, 09 05:25 PM

Dirty girls are appreciated!!! ;D

Posted by MRCL July 30, 09 03:56 PM

Oh! Oh! Dis should b takin plaz here in Africa, mayb wi'll find peace n harmony we've bin cravin 4. O.M.G!

Posted by Yunglvz August 2, 09 04:49 AM

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeew

Posted by Tommy Antonucci August 2, 09 07:53 AM

#30 -- Thanks for the buzzkill, Boston. Good job ruining the playfulness of the photoset with a dog searching for bodies. Way to go!

Posted by mikvance August 5, 09 01:29 PM

#26 that guy is so hot

Posted by TJ August 8, 09 09:54 PM

very good pictures

Posted by dhanraj August 13, 09 09:42 AM

I think that's beautifull!!!..See everyone like a kid....that is what we should do every day in or lives.....if in case you don't see that way....take look at again!!...beautiful pictures!! should be at the youtube!!

Posted by Nando August 16, 09 12:42 AM

very atractive shots

Posted by salih August 19, 09 07:52 AM

EVERY BODY LOOK VERY HAPPY;)

Posted by ALYSSA lewis August 24, 09 10:33 PM

How did you miss the annual MudBowl tournament - a 70 years tradition - at University of Michigan homecoming in Ann Arbor, Michigan?

Posted by Jo Ellen September 20, 09 05:08 PM