Begging for clothes? Thousands clamber for 'lucky sticks' at naked festival

• More than 9,000 Japanese men took part in Hadaka Matsuri - known as Naked Festival - at Saidaiji Temple today
• Donned white loincloths, before stepping into cold fountains, where they purified their bodies with water
• Then battled fiercely with each other in bid to grab lucky sticks being thrown by priest at temple in Okayama
• Sacred batons are believed to bring good luck and happiness for an entire year to whoever catches them

Wearing only loincloths and with their arms stretched in the air, these men look like they are begging for a set of clothes.

But they are, in fact, trying to grab a pair of lucky sticks being thrown by a priest at a temple in Okayama, Japan.

The sacred batons - measuring 4cm in diameter and 20cm in length - are believed to bring good luck for an entire year to whoever catches them.

They then battled fiercely with each other in a bid to grab the pair of lucky sticks - known as the shingi - which were thrown into the crowd by a priest from a four-metre high window. 

According to Japanese tradition, anyone who gets catches the items and thrusts them in a wooden measuring box, called the masu, is blessed with 12 months of luck and happiness.

Last month, around 100 men took part in the ancient Shinto festival of Kanchu Misogi - a winter purification ritual that is supposed to cleanse the body and soul and bring worshippers closer to mystical spirits, which they believe can bring them success.

In temperatures of just 40F (6C), the participants stripped down to loincloths and headbands before taking a dip in the pool at Teppozu Inari Shinto shrine.

They then crouched down in the freezing water to pray - before hugging large blocks of ice.