Of all the sometimes bizarre summer festivals held in Spain, the Cascamorras event is probably the darkest.

Some 15,000 participants throw black paint over each other for several hours every September in the small town of Baza, in the southern province of Granada.

The frenzied but good-natured fight is a re-enactment of a 15th-century feud between two villages. The "Cascamorras" represents a thief who attempted to steal a religious image from a local church. He is dressed up like a harlequin.

People try to stop him, chasing him and throwing black paint as they run through the streets. It's a colorful event, even in black.

The paint, which is not harmful to people or the environment, is provided by the town council for what is a major tourist attraction.