This festival, held during the first week of September in Baza, in the north of Granada, is one of the more bizarre festivals celebrated in Spain each year. Its history lies in the discovery of a statue over 500 years ago.
Legend has it that after the Reconquest of Granada, whilst a labourer from Guadix was demolishing the Merced Convent in Baza, a statue of the Virgin was discovered in the rubble. Due to the location of the find the statue was swiftly adopted by the people of Baza, much to the annoyance of the residents of Guadix, who felt that it should be moved there since it was discovered by one of their own people.
It was agreed that if an Accitano, as the residents of Guadix were known, was able to enter Baza and reach the Merced without staining his clothes, he could recover the Virgin for Guadix. Despite the passage of time the tradition is still very much alive