(Nejapa) For a century, the inhabitants of a village in El Salvador have commemorated a devastating volcanic eruption every August 31 with a confrontation with “fireballs”.
Posted at 3:59 p.m.
In Nejapa, 20 kilometers north of the capital San Salvador, this mock battle is serious business, listed as an intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO.
After leaving nearly 3,000 balls of rags to soak in gasoline for two months, the members of the two opposing groups put on thick gloves, hoods and masks, all well moistened to protect themselves. Before getting down to business, they must submit to a breathalyzer.
“It’s a game full of adrenaline. The most important thing is to maintain the tradition of the village”, comments for AFP Alejandra Diaz, a young girl who, with her mother, participates this year in the festivities in honor of the patron saint of Nejapa, San Jeronimo doctor, after three years of absence due to the pandemic.
The “battle of fireballs” commemorates the violent eruption that in 1658 destroyed the old site of the village, in Nixapa.
According to legend, the inhabitants had to abandon everything in their flight, except for a small statue of Saint Jerome, reputed to have stopped the disaster on the site of the current village of Nejapa, explains historian Joel Quiroz.
“It is a source of pride for all the inhabitants of the village that (this) tradition which identifies us throughout the world as intangible heritage celebrates its hundredth anniversary”, rejoices Jorge Escamilla, the mayor of Nejapa.