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Water-splashing festival held at Hokkaido shrine

SAPPORO, Japan - A young man, kneeling on the snowy ground and wearing a loincloth, is splashed with water with two others standing beside him during a Shinto festival to pray for a good catch of fish and good harvest at Samegawa Shrine in the town of Kikonai, Hokkaido, on the night of Jan. 13. The three men and a fourth, throwing the water (not pictured), all aged between 19 and 21, participated in the ''kanchu misogi'' (purification in the cold) festival, which dates back to 1831, in temperatures of almost zero.

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"Kanchu Misogi" ritual at Tokyo shrine

People bathe in ice water at Teppozu Inari Shrine in Tokyo on Jan. 10, 2016, during the annual "Kanchu Misogi" winter purification ritual to pray for good health and safe family life in the new year. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Water-splashing festival held at Hokkaido shrine

SAPPORO, Japan - A young man, kneeling on the snowy ground and wearing a loincloth, is splashed with water with two others standing beside him during a Shinto festival to pray for a good catch of fish and good harvest at Samegawa Shrine in the town of Kikonai, Hokkaido, on the night of Jan. 13. The three men and a fourth, throwing the water (not pictured), all aged between 19 and 21, participated in the ''kanchu misogi'' (purification in the cold) festival, which dates back to 1831, in temperatures of almost zero. (Kyodo)