Revelers mark end of carnival with ‘flour war’
STORY: The “flour war” pits revelers against each other with tons of cooking flour tinted with food coloring.
Hundreds participated in the event on "Clean Monday" in the coastal fishing town of Galaxidi, about 124 miles (200 km) west of Athens, marking the end of carnival season and the beginning of the Greek Orthodox Lent fast.
Across the town’s harbor, hundreds more watch at a safe distance.
The tradition is believed to have evolved from the 19th century during the period when Greece was occupied by the Ottoman empire. Ottoman rulers had forbidden carnival festivities, but in defiance locals would smear their faces with ash and dance in the street.
