Saint Sebastian is commonly depicted as being shot with arrows, but in one Spanish village it is turnips that are used as weapons on the saint's feast day. Every year, in Piornal, Caceres province, western Spain, villagers throw turnips at a man dressed up as a devil-like creature known as a 'Jarramplas'.

This year, the honour of being pelted with turnips fell to local man Armando Vicente Vicente, 30. He donned protective gear under a costume covered in multi-coloured ribbons and a horned fibreglass mask, and then made his way through the streets of the village playing a drum. Crowds chased him through the street, throwing turnips at him and trying to knock him off his feet. The protective gear must have come in handy, as thousands turnips are thrown at the Jarramplas during the annual festival.

The exact origins of the festival are not known, but various theories exist. Some believe it can be linked to the mythological punishment of Caco by Hercules; others think it is related to ceremonies celebrated by the American Indians that were seen by the first conquerors; while others prefer a theory about a cattle thief being ridiculed and expelled by his village neighbours.

However the tradition was started, it is generally believed to symbolise the expulsion of everything bad.