Moss Men Take Over Spanish Town for a Day to Commemorate Historical Event

(June 9) -- A rolling stone gathers no moss, but a Spanish festival in Bejar, Salamanca, that features locals dressed in mossy outfits is gathering lots of attention from residents and tourists alike.

Like many offbeat festivals, the "Procession of the Moss Men" (or "Hombre de Musgo") is based on a real-life event.

Back in 1397, a group of Christians disguised themselves in moss before launching an attack to conquer the city of Bejar, which was under Muslim rule.

Legend has it that the original event took place on the day of Santa Marina, a virgin who lived in disguise on the nearby mountain of Castanar.

The town's Christian faithful assembled for mass in a place known as La Centena. After hearing the mass, they covered themselves with moss and started off toward the fortress to take the city. History doesn't record how long the moss-covered masses walked, but they probably did it pretty slowly, as the outfits were quite bulky.

A hermitage was built to honor the event, and since then, a pilgrimage has taken place in honor of the "moss men."

A few years later, in the 14th century, the town fathers decided that because the celebration of the moss men's feat is so close to that of Corpus Christi -- a Catholic festival known as Trinity Sunday in English-speaking countries -- they should be united.

Today, the legend is brought to life on the Sunday after the festivities of Corpus Christi, when specially selected residents wear elaborate (and stifling hot) costumes made from moss.

The procession leaves from a local church, the Iglesia de Santa Maria la Mayor, and walks around the entire old quarter of the town, where the streets are carpeted with thyme and all the balconies are garlanded.

The moss men walk around town while being showered with flower petals. At the end of the procession, a flag representing the old Muslim government is surrendered in the Iglesia del Salvador by townspeople symbolizing the old guard.

The ceremony has different effects on people, depending on their level of religious devotion.

Devout believers feel joy at the efforts people will take to protect their honor, while fans of 1950s sci-fi films have the vague sense they are watching an episode of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" -- minus the snarky puppet comments.