Dozens lash each other with dried bull penises in 400-year-old Nicaraguan tradition

Every year in Nicaragua, dozens participate in a bizarre ritual in which they beat each other with dried bull penises and flog their opponents until they give in – all in the name of their city’s patron saint.

Whether to atone for their sins or to get a taste of adrenaline, the four-century-old religious tradition is known as the dance of the ‘chinegros’ and can be performed by men, children and some women.

It is held on the occasion of the day of John the Baptist in San Juan de Oriente, a municipality in the south of the Central American country.

Challengers, wearing no protective gear and sometimes topless, whip each other with “chilillos,” made from a bull’s dissected penis.

Videos from the event show how the weapon is capable of tearing a piece of skin on contact, with dozens of participants suffering cuts and other injuries from the battles that large crowds watch.

Some suffered cuts and bruises to their heads after taking on opponents without protective gear

One man suffered severe bruising during his fight, which he proudly showed off to the cameras

The improvised whips are almost like swords, with what can be described as handguards

Challengers lash out at each other and keep fighting until someone can’t take the pain anymore and gives up

The chililos are capable of tearing a person’s skin on contact, with fighters suffering lacerations and

The improvised whips are almost like swords, with what can be described as handguards seemingly made of leather – the only protection afforded to fighters.

Footage shows male combatants lashing each other with homemade weapons – and some come out worse than others.

Deep cuts and even scars can be seen on the backs of fighters, who hold back their faces and bear the pain until one of them gives in, throwing his chili in the air to surrender.

The violent dance is believed to have been performed in the town, which is of indigenous origin, since 1585.

Video shows male fighters lashing each other with the homemade weapons as crowds gather

Noel Amilcar Gallegos, a Chinegros researcher of more than 20 years, explained that a whip is seen as a sacrifice dedicated to Saint John

About 60 percent of the 3,000 inhabitants are said to have participated in the sport in their lifetime.

‘Apart from our tradition, it is part of our promises. Of course it hurts, but right now it’s being faked,” 36-year-old Julio Cesar Potosme, who has been battling rivals for almost half his life, told EFE news agency during last year’s celebrations.

Noel Amilcar Gallegos, a Chinegros researcher of more than 20 years, explained that a whip is seen as an offering dedicated to Saint John, reports La Prensa Latina.

Fighters were seen showing off their scars after the dramatic fights ended

About 60 percent of the 3,000 inhabitants are said to have participated in the sport in their lifetime

While some historians point to the name of the ritual as evidence that it arrived with African slaves, Gallegos argues that it existed in pre-colonial times before it was adapted.

“It was modified in the sense that it was no longer self-inflicted, but rather a competition, two people of the same size and possibly the same age.

“This was given as a thank you for a favor to the patron saint,” said the researcher.

“It’s a tradition of the people of San Juan, a tradition we’ve rooted since we were kids. It’s a game and it’s a promise.

He added, “Everyone would say it’s an atrocity, that this shouldn’t exist, but yes, only the people of San Juan have this.”