Holy Bath

 

A paper suit is a risky thing to wear to the beach．It’ s even riskier if you plan to go into the water．But that doesn’ t matter to the people of Oporto’1），northern Portugal．Every year on the eve of Saint Bartholomew’s Day which is due on August ２４，they happily don their colorful paper outfits and swarm2） down to the strand3） en masse．One costumed man，designated Neptune――for a day――presides over a mock battle between paper－clad“pirates”and equally paper－clad“landlubbers．”Afterwards，“Neptune4）”rides his carriage straight into the waves and everyone piles in after him．Locals maintain that their festival，flimsy garb and all，is of ancient origin，and that the communal5） dip taken this day is a “holy bath，”worth seven ordinary baths in its power to cleanse the swimmer of evil and sin．