BAZA, SPAIN
In one of the world’s more curious festivals, young men, covered in grease, splash one another on September 6. The annual Cascamorras festival celebrates a tradition dating back to the 15th century, when a worker from Guadix nicknamed Cascamorras is said to have uncovered a sacred image of the Virgin Mary in Baza, setting off an ownership dispute. Although the icon remains in Baza to this day, the town allows a representative of Guadix one opportunity every year to claim it— if the person can reach the church perfectly clean.
JORGE GUERRERO