Festival of fire sets El Salvador town alight
In a tradition dating back to 1658, the El Salvadoran village of Nejapa has held its annual fire festival.
Groups of city residents battle each other with fireballs to honour the town's patron Saint Geronimo who, according to legend, fought the devil with fireballs. The highlight of the festival is "Las Bolas de Fuego" (balls of fire), where two teams fling gasoline-soaked cloth balls at each other.
Participants wear heavy clothes soaked in water and paint their faces in preparation.
02 Sep 2010
- From the section Latin America & Caribbean