Nepal farmers plunge into muddy paddy fields to celebrate rice festival

Farmers in Nepal jump into muddy paddy fields to celebrate "National Paddy Day", a festival that coincides with the start of the annual rice planting season.

Joyful locals in Sindhupalchok are seen almost fully submerged in the puddles, and then singing and dancing while slathered in mud. They drink rice wine and splash around in the mucky water.

Rice accounts for almost half of the cereal production in the country. Some 70 per cent of the Nepali population depends directly on agriculture.