For nine days of dirty fun, a quaint¹ South Korean coastal² city paints the town a dull shade of mud.

Boryeong says its mud has special powers to refresh the skin and soothe³ the soul. Last Saturday (July 12) saw the start of its 11th annual Mud Festival, which attracts about 2 million people to the city of a little more than 100,000 located about 190 km (120 miles) southwest of Seoul.

"The mud makes people friendly," said Angela Sharp, a US Air Force service member stationed in South Korea who is one of the tens of thousands of foreigners attending the festivities.

One part of the festival gives visitors the chance to play in the greyish goo at mud wrestling pits, mud slides and mud baths. Somewhere along the line, ample supplies of alcohol add to the high spirits.

The other part of the festival is pitching beauty and skincare products made with mud from the nearby mudflats.

"Boryeong's mud is different from other mud," said local mud entrepreneur Kim Song-soo.

One skincare maker⁴ writes proudly in English on the label of its products: "Natural mud from Boryeong is helpful in calming, smoothing and water balancing."

The mud festival ritual is pretty much the same for all visitors. Step one: arrive in clean clothes. Step two: get muddy, often while enjoying a tasty beverage⁵.

"Foreigners heard that there is a place to come get muddy, get messy, and get drunk," said Boryeong resident Kim Ja-gyeong, adding that over time the locals have learned to accommodate the occasionally off-putting antics of their foreign counterparts.

On Boryeong streets, men and women in bathing suits, their skin identical shades of grey, dried mud, pump about 53 billion won ($52.75 million) into the local economy each year, local officials said.

Convenience store operators say sales usually double or triple during the festival.

历时九天的“泥巴狂欢节”在韩国一座“奇特”的海滨城市拉开帷幕，一时间整个小城似乎也被涂上了一层灰泥。

据举办第十一届“泥巴狂欢节”的保宁市称，当地的泥巴具有焕肤和安神的特殊功效。韩国一年一度的“泥巴狂欢节”于上周六（7月12日）在保宁市开幕，吸引了约200万人前来参加。保宁市位于首尔西南部约190公里（合120英里）处，本地人口十万出头。

前来参加狂欢节的还有很多外国人。美国驻韩空军军官安琪拉•夏普说：“泥巴狂欢节让人与人之间变得更加友好了。”

在“泥巴狂欢节”的其中一项活动中，游客们可以在泥巴池里摔跤、冲泥流和洗泥巴浴，尽享玩泥乐趣。而在这些场地周围，还备有充足的酒水为人们助兴。

在另一项活动中，游客可以亲身体验由附近泥滩的海泥制成的美容和护肤产品。

当地一家“泥制美容产品”企业的负责人金松苏说：“保宁的泥跟其他地方的泥不一样。”

一家护肤品生产商还自豪地在其产品标签上注上了英文说明：“保宁天然泥具有舒缓肌肤、保持肌肤嫩滑和水平衡之功效。”

所有参加“泥巴狂欢节”的游客都要遵守以下“规则”：

第一步：衣装整洁到达现场。第二步：往身上抹泥，可以一边享受酷饮。

保宁市市民金亚宁说：“很多外国人都听说有一个地方可以让人浑身涂满泥巴地尽情玩乐，还能在这里一醉方休。”他还说，时间长了，当地居民对外国人的一些令人不快的古怪行为也慢慢习惯了。

当地官员称，在保宁的大街上随处可以身穿泳衣、浑身涂满灰色干泥的男男女女，这些人每年为当地带来约530亿韩元（5275万美元）的经济收入。

便利商店的老板们说，“泥巴狂欢节”期间商店的营业额通常是平时的两到三倍。