Batter up! Spanish revellers dressed in military uniform pelt each other with flour and eggs as they celebrate 200-year-old Els Enfarinats festival

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By Maya Cantina

Spanish revellers dressed in military uniform pelted each other with flour and eggs as they celebrated a 200-year-old festival.

The small town of of Ibi, Alicante hosts the Els Enfarinats festival every year, where partiers take part in a battle outside the town hall.

The traditional festival involves participants dressing in military outfits before they batter each other with flour, eggs and firecrackers, instead of weapons.

Activities on the day include celebrations such as fireworks and a mock election. 

Celebrators stage a mock coup d’etat as they battle as part of the celebrations of the Day of the Innocents, a traditional day in Spain for pulling pranks.

Spanish revellers dressed in military uniform pelted each other with flour and eggs as they celebrated a 200-year-old festival

Boom, headshot! A 'fighter' sets off firecrackers at someone's helmeted head as eggs splatter past them

Boom, headshot! A ‘fighter’ sets off firecrackers at someone’s helmeted head as eggs splatter past them

Two fighters in Idi, Alicante pelt each other with flour during the traditional festival

Two fighters in Idi, Alicante pelt each other with flour during the traditional festival

Flour power! A group of soldiers armed with eggs and flour prepare for battle

Flour power! A group of soldiers armed with eggs and flour prepare for battle

Viva la EGGolución: A brave 'soldier' marks the 'fight for freedom' during the Els Enfarinats festival

Viva la EGGolución: A brave ‘soldier’ marks the ‘fight for freedom’ during the Els Enfarinats festival

At 8am, the Els Enfarinats take the city under the slogan ‘New Justice’

And an hour later the ‘Race for Mayor’ takes place in which they decide who will be the ‘leader; of the Els Enfarinats.

They exercise their authority under a blaze of fireworks, flour bombs and eggs.

At 5pm the authority of Els Enfarinats comes to an end giving way to the celebration of the traditional Dansà.

The Day of the Innocents name is reference to the Bible’s story of the first Christian martyrs in Bethlehem.

The name for the festival Els Enfarinats comes from the Valencian word for breading, and roughly translate to ‘the breaded ones’ or ‘the floured ones’.

Photos show hundreds of locals charging down the streets as they pelt each other with the raw ingredients of a pancake batter.

Epic sights of splattered eggs and firecrackers streaming across the streets of Ida, on the south east of Spain, show the epic fun being enjoyed by the revellers.

Every single ‘fighter’ is shown covered in flour from head to toe

The Spanish are known for their bizarre food-throwing traditions.

Every year they launch tomatoes at each other during the Tomatina Festival which takes place in the town of Bunol in August every year.

Splat! A senior officer has a box of eggs dumped on his head during the traditional festival

Splat! A senior officer has a box of eggs dumped on his head during the traditional festival

The mock coup d'etat takes place in the southeastern town of Idi in Spain every year

The mock coup d’etat takes place in the southeastern town of Idi in Spain every year

A reveller lets of two flares during the raucous celebrations on December 28

A reveller lets of two flares during the raucous celebrations on December 28

Revellers in their pristine military uniforms during the festival

Revellers in their pristine military uniforms during the festival

You're battered! A participant gets a jug of flour dumped on his head during the celebrations

You’re battered! A participant gets a jug of flour dumped on his head during the celebrations

Partiers hold their mock election inside the town hall in Ibi

Partiers hold their mock election inside the town hall in Ibi

Locked and loaded! A fierce soldier ready to launch a box of 30 eggs at anyone who tries to halt the revolution

Locked and loaded! A fierce soldier ready to launch a box of 30 eggs at anyone who tries to halt the revolution

Egg off! A soldier demonstrates the consequences of saying '¡Por favor no me arrojes huevos!'

Egg off! A soldier demonstrates the consequences of saying ‘¡Por favor no me arrojes huevos!’

ᴀʀᴛɪᴄʟᴇ ꜱᴏᴜʀᴄᴇ

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