Turnip-Throwing Marks This Wacky Spanish Festival

A small town in Spain celebrates its annual festival, not with lights and sounds, but by throwing turnips at a masked figure on the street. The "Jarramplas" is a two-day festival in Piornal, Spain  held during Saint Sebastian Day.

Every Jan. 19-20, Piornal's streets are filled with hundreds of people, each holding a turnip to throw at the masked "Jarramplas," a figure resembling the evil one. People pelt him with turnips from the moment he comes out of the church, beating the drum.

In a report by Yahoo News, a resident of the town would volunteer each year to play the role of "Jarramplas." This year, 30-year old Armando Valencia got the opportunity to become the masked "Jarramplas."

He wore thick colorful swatches of protective clothing and a horned mask to resemble the evil creature. He was then chased down the street while people continuously threw turnips at him.

Bloomberg mentioned that the "Jarramplas" is being punished by the townspeople and must endure the punishment until he can no longer bear it. The festival is a symbol of purging everything bad from the little town.

Local farmers would supply a total of 18 tons of turnips that will be used for the festival. This does not include the ingredients that will be utilized for the food to be prepared during the two-day celebration.

A similar type of fiesta in Valencia, Spain is also celebrated yearly. In the "La Tomatina" Festival, instead of turnips, residents throw tomatoes. Farmers had to prepare approximately 240,000 pounds of mostly red and ripe tomatoes, which the people will be throwing to celebrate the fiesta.

Other notable fiestas celebrated in Spain include the San Sebastian Drum Festival celebrated in San Sebastian, Basque Country and the Fiesta de Moros y Cristianos which is celebrated in Alicante Valencia.