(29 Jun 2018) REVELERS IN SPAIN HOLD ANNUAL WINE BATTLE, DOUSING EACH OTHER WITH RED WINE
Revelers in Spain were taking part in an unusual annual event which includes dousing each other with liters and liters of red wine
This is the annual battle of wine, held near Haro, the heart of the Rioja wine producing region, and the idea is to drench everyone around you with copious amounts of tasty red wine.
Many of the hundreds of participants trudge through the vineyards, walking past vines that will end up making the red wines of some of this region's most famous export.
Most of the revelers haven't gone to bed as the party begins in Haro's many bars that stay open all night.
Once the party-goers have arrived it is a frenzy of wine and laughter.
All sorts of contraptions are used and appropriated to propel the wine over each other.
High above the battle area is the small chapel of the local patron Saint Felices which translates as happy from the Spanish.
The original idea was for the battle to start after the 0845 mass to honour the Saint's day however the battle is in full swing way before the mass even starts.
Locals say that the battle has grown from the high-spirits of previous generations, that after attending the mass begin to sprinkle each other with wine during the picnic after the mass.
This local fiesta is also attracting a more international contingent as thrill seekers from across the globe come to join in the fun.
Architect Alice Shamus from Australia and bio-engineer Scott Clinton from Canada were encouraged to come to the battle by their friend Ben Honnen, who willingly showed them how to take part.
After a couple hours of purple haze the battlers dig into an early lunch.
Naiara Hernaez, a 24 year-old from Haro says the feast is "a day of a lot of partying and a lot of happiness and a day of little sleep because during the night we haven't slept much and we came here without sleeping."
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
