Young men carrying a statue of the god of five cereals run through a muddy field in Chentang village in Ninghua county, Fujian province on Feb 22. The ritual is a traditional Hakka ceremony celebrated each year to welcome the arrival of spring. [Photo by Shi Fuling/Xinhua]

But as the young men reached a muddy field, the stately procession suddenly turned wild as a crowd of villagers arrived to bombard the sedan chair bearers with mud balls.

From there, the whole thing spins into everybody chasing, wrestling with each other, splashing muddy water and tossing mud balls. When the revelry calms down and everybody is thoroughly caked in mud, the participants wash themselves clean and carry the god of five cereals back to his temple.

This process of gamboling and sweating to their hearts' content is designed to help the villagers form closer community bonds and to please the god of five cereals. The event is an important ritual for the Hakka, whose culture centers on farming and education with a strong emphasis on the cohesiveness of the family and the clan.

The cultural tradition was formed over the years as part of the Hakka culture that is believed to go back to the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) or perhaps even earlier.