EL SALVADOR : Residents of Nejapa hold their annual fire ball festival with fireball fights in the streets in memory of volcanic eruption

Record ID: 570330

  • Title: EL SALVADOR : Residents of Nejapa hold their annual fire ball festival with fireball fights in the streets in memory of volcanic eruption
  • Date: 4th September 2000
  • Summary: NEJAPA, EL SALVADOR (RECENT) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) VARIOUS OF FIREWORKS VARIOUS OF MAN HOLDING A TORCH SHAPED AS A BULL WHILE RUNNING IN THE DARK (3 SHOTS) WIDE OF FIREWORK DISPLAY SCU MAN WITH FACE PAINTED AS CLOWN SLV PEOPLE STANDING ROUND BONFIRE VARIOUS OF MEN THROWING FIRE BALLS AT EACH OTHER (7 SHOTS) SMV MAN WITH PAINTED FACE HOLDING FIRE BALL VARIOUS, OF MEN THR
  • Embargoed: 19th September 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NEJAPA, EL SALVADOR
  • Country: El Salvador
  • Topics: Arts
  • Reuters ID: LVA2KHHXZ7PBB7BZG8YA2Z7OMIWB
  • Story Text: Residents of Nejapa, in El Salvador, have held their annual fire ball festival, when locals engage in a fierce battle that involves launching blazing balls of fire at opposing teams.
    With painted or covered faces and torches in their hands, residents of Nejapa, located some 30 kilometres north of San Salvador, took to the streets over the weekend to mark the day of what some say was the deadliest eruption of the San Salvador volcano in recent history.
    The festivities consist of music, floats and reveries, as well as a fierce battle between opposing groups who launch fire balls at each other.
    Nejapa residents say the San Salvador volcano erupted in 1658, showering incandescent stones, resembling fire balls, through the air.
    A statue of St. Geronimo, the village's patron saint, has been erected as a gesture of appreciation for delivering the villagers safely from danger.
    "This festivity is celebrated in memory of our ancestors, who used to see the eruption of the San Salvador volcano and used to pass fire balls at each other. That is the popular version of history. The other one is the Catholic one that says that the Village's Patron Saint Geronimo would go to the mountains and would use fire when he confronted the devil in protecting the town of Nejapa. Nowadays, we all participate in the festivities," explained Rene Canjura, Nejapa's Mayor.
    To the untrained eye the battle may seem simple, yet dangerous, but one rule applies. According to residents, the balls must be the right size. That is, they must fill the palm of the hand.
    Despite the apparent dangers, few serious injuries are reported, as the aim is more often to scare, rather than scar, the opposition.
    The battle begins with residents collecting old rags and discarded clothing weeks beforehand. These are then rolled into balls which are soaked for two weeks in a barrel containing a mixture of flammable fuels to ensure that they catch fire easily.
    (rv/lh)
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