Every January, on Saint Sebastian Day, the streets of Piornal, Spain, fill with residents armed with turnips, seeking to punish the Jarramplas. The Jarramplas is a devil-like character portrayed by a man wearing a costume made from colorful strips of fabric, a frightening mask, and body armor underneath. In a centuries-old tradition, he walks the streets and beats a drum while residents throw turnips at him as a punishment for stealing cattle. The exact origin of the festival are not known, various theories exist from the mythological punishment of Caco by Hercules, to a cattle thief ridiculed and expelled by his neighbors.
Turnips Fly at the Jarramplas Festival
Hints:
View this page full screen.
Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.
-
![]()
Read morePeople throw turnips at the Jarramplas as he makes his way through the streets beating his drum during the Jarramplas Festival in Piornal, Spain, on January 20, 2014. #
Andres Kudacki/AP -
-
![]()
Read moreRaul Beites, 34, is helped by assistants as he is dressed as a Jarramplas during the Jarramplas Festival in Piornal, Spain, on January 20, 2015. #
Sergio Perez/Reuters -
![]()
Read morePeople hold turnips to throw at Jarramplas in Piornal, Spain, on January 20, 2014. #
Andres Kudacki/AP -
![]()
Read moreA man throws a turnip at the Jarramplas as he makes his way through the streets of Piornal on January 19, 2014. #
Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images -
-
![]()
Read morePeople throw turnips at the Jarramplas during the Jarramplas Festival on January 20, 2014. #
Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images -
![]()
Read morePeople throw turnips at the Jarramplas on January 20, 2013 in Piornal. #
Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images -
![]()
Read morePeople try to take cover as others throw turnips at the Jarramplas on January 20, 2013. #
Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images -
-
![]()
Read morePeople hurl turnips at the Jarramplas on January 20, 2013. #
Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images -
![]()
Read moreThe Jarramplas is backed up to a wall and pelted with turnips on January 20, 2013. #
Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images -
![]()
Read moreTurnips fly at the Jarramplas in Piornal on January 20, 2015. #
Daniel Ochoa de Olza/AP -
-
![]()
Read moreSome of the thousands of pounds of turnips thrown at the Jarramplas pile up on January 20, 2013. #
Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images -
![]()
Read moreStewards lift the Jarramplas Jose Maria Perez as he takes a breath at the end of the Jarramplas Festival on January 20, 2014 in Piornal, Spain. #
Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to [email protected].