The people of San Juan de la Vega, Guanajuato, Mexico have a very peculiar celebration that rocks their town every February. This is what they do:
Credit: Pierre Brown / YouTube
They SMASH bombs with huge hammers. This local tradition has been around for 400 years and it starts on Ash Wednesday, from sunrise to sunset – or until someone REALLY gets hurt.
Here’s what it looks like. First you secure the explosives to the end of the sledgehammer.
Credit: Pierre Brown / YouTube
Then one brave soul takes the hammer to their target: a large metal beam or, in this case, a smaller piece of metal.
Credit: Pierre Brown / YouTube
After finding the perfect spot, you just windup and slam it down with all your might.
Credit: Pierre Brown / YouTube
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And, um, you just get up and walk it off.
Credit: Pierre Brown / YouTube
Why do they do it? To celebrate a historic, folklorish fight over gold.
Operativo de seguridad y atención médica durante la festividad en San Juan de la Vega, municipio de Celaya pic.twitter.com/rg6qDteFNZ
— Luis Manuel Martínez (@suegemergencias) February 9, 2016
Credit: @suegemergencias / Twitter
According to legend, the 400-year-old tradition began with a wealthy gold miner named Juan Aquino de la Vega who entered into an epic battle with gold-stealing bandits. De la Vega won the battle and became a Robin Hood-like around the town.
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The explosions are supposed to represent the moment Juan Aquino de la Vega won the fight against the gold bandits.
Credit: David Guadiana / YouTube
Sounds like… fun?
Co-author: Adriana Venegas
