Eggs zip through the air and clouds of flour billow as the southeastern Spanish town of Ibi celebrates its annual 'Els Enfarinaté' festival. Every year on 28 December the event, over 200 years old, sees two sides stage a symbolic battle, throwing eggs, flour and firecrackers at each other, as they fight to gain control of the city in a mock coup d'etat. "A new government enters the mayor's office and takes away the mayor's power" says Alejandro Juarez, speaking while covered head to toe in flour, "we, the opposition, are against this system and we are going to try to make it harder to take the power". Another participant, Pedro Martinez, explains "this is a battle of expired eggs that smell terrible, of expired flour that smells terrible". IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES