Madrid, Europe Brief News – Every year on December 28, the small town of Ibi in Spain‘s Alicante municipality descends into the chaos of a mock-up coup d’état as the people celebrate the festival of Els Enfarinats.
Els Enfarinats roughly translates to “the floured ones”. As per an account published in Atlas Obscura, the festival starts when a group consisting of about 20-30 people known as Els Enfarinats elect a new “mayor” at the town square. This mayor then makes a series of absurd laws. The people who disobey them are fined with real money.
At some point, they form another group, known as the La Oposicio (the Opposition) and retaliate against the Els Enfarinats. Then a food fight with flour, eggs and even paint ensues between the two groups. It soon transcends into pure chaos.
Dressed in assorted military garb and wearing sashes, they stage a mock, messy coup in the town of just over 23,000 in the eastern region of Valencia, using about 10,000 eggs and 600 kg of flour in the fighting that ensues.
Under a cloud of flour and exploding fireworks, Els Enfarinats battle L’Oposicio (the opposition in Valencian) as they take over Ibi’s local government and establish outlandish laws, such as fines for walking on the sidewalk.
Any proceeds from fines go to charity.
