Viva la revolución – the Spanish fiesta that celebrates a coup d’etat that never was
- In the Alicante town of Ibi, all hell breaks lose every December 28 for Els Enfarinats
- As the conflict gathers pace, weapons such as eggs, flour and firecrackers come into play
“Fiesta” is arguably the most widely known Spanish word. And for good reason: Spaniards need little excuse to party. God, the Virgin Mary, a variety of saints and running bulls are all celebrated with gay abandon, but traditional fiestas are being joined by a new breed of secular revelry, celebrating battles and other historical events.
Prominent among the latter is the Tomatina, an all-out war fought with tonnes of tomatoes that breaks out each August in the Mediterranean town of Buñol. This food fight has become so popular that Spanish is the least spoken language among combatants, who each fork out €25 (HK$215) for a ticket, which also includes a glass of bad sangria.
Just 150km to the south of Buñol, however, in the usually sleepy Alicante town of Ibi, an even odder battle takes place, for free and without the crowds, every December 28. Spain’s Fool’s Day is a suitable choice of date, because nothing of any importance ever really happened in Ibi.
Els Enfarinats (“the floured ones” in the Valencian language) is the recreation of a coup d’état that never took place, and is staged amid a riot of flour, eggs and firecrackers, as this writer discovered at last year’s festival.
“We play a group of authoritarian insurgents that manages to overthrow the town’s government for a whole day,” explains the rebels’ (“enfarinats”) leader, Héctor Guillem. “From then on, a series of humorous developments, including a trial of the authorities, escalates into a full blown battle in the streets.”
