TEHRAN, September 01 -Dozens of youths from Nejapa in El Salvador have gathered for the annual 'Bolgas de Fuego' (Fireballs) Festival.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Two teams hurled fireballs made from petrol-soaked rags at one another in an annual tradition that remembers a huge volcanic eruption that occurred in 1922.
Participants coated their faces in war paint or masks and donned thick clothes and gloves soaked in water to prevent them from getting burned. Hundreds of people come to Nejapa to see the festival every year.
"If you get burned, you should be grateful for it. You will have a memory of Bolas de Fuego festival forever. This is based in the volcano's eruption, in our ancestors who ran away from the lava. We do this remembering … in honor of our patron Saint St. Jerome Doctor," said one participant.
The 'Fireball' festival started in 1922, reportedly after an eruption of the San Salvador volcano didn't damage the town. The fireballs represent lava from the volcano, which according to tradition took the form of the local saint, Jeronimo, who was fighting the devil with balls of fire. The festival therefore represents the fight between the saint and the devil or good and evil.
(Source: Ruptly)
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