Men and women from a small town in western Spain covered themselves head to toe in moss over the weekend to commemorate an attack that, according to local legend, helped liberate the town from foreign invaders nearly 800 years ago.
The legend goes that during the reign of King Alfonso VIII of Castile in the 12th century men camouflaged themselves in moss to hide their approach to the gates of a Muslim fortress, the Associated Press reports.
Under the cover of darkness they waited for the drawbridge to open and then ambushed the guards before taking the town. Another version of the story has the guards retreating in terror after seeing the appearance of the moss-men who they believed were monsters.
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Every June citizens don costumes made of the plant and take part in the Corpus Christi procession which dates back to 1397. Children who have received their first communion accompany them on the parade, while locals shower the procession with flower petals.
Below are images of the parade which took place Sunday in Bejar, Spain.
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