People have soaked in frigid water in Ishikawa Prefecture to pray for a healthy year and reconstruction of areas hit by last year's powerful earthquake and torrential rain on the Noto Peninsula.

The annual purification ritual took place at a shrine in Hakusan City, central Japan, on Monday -- the coldest day of the year according to the traditional Japanese calendar.

About 20 Shinto priests and others gathered early morning at a place where riverbed water from Mount Hakusan was accumulated. They were wearing white loincloths or white costumes.

All the participants warmed up by repeatedly making a rowing movement and chanting loudly.

Then they submerged in the cold water and stayed there for about five minutes while reciting a prayer.

The participants had written messages on the back of their headbands expressing their hope for reconstruction of areas hit by the disasters.

A man from Kanazawa City, also in Ishikawa, said he prayed that people on the Noto Peninsula will return to their normal lives as soon as possible.