New York, April 2 (IANS): Encouraged by the absence of rain, dozens of people participated on Saturday in a pillow fight in downtown New York, on the occasion of International Pillow Fight Day, held every year in many cities around the world.

With no other weapon than soft cushions and with battle cries in the form of laughter, the assembled, mostly young, gathered in the central Washington Square park, as they have done for many years, to begin the feathery fight.

The initiative, in New York convened online by the Newmindspace group, has been repeated throughout the day in other cities around the world such as London, Madrid, Rome or Rio de Janeiro and, ultimately, in "any city worth living in", Efe news service reported.

Although the theme of this year's Pillow Fight Day was Viking, participants took the liberty to dress as they wanted, leading to fantastic combat scenes such as between Nordic warriors and Super Mario, the popular video game character.

This is an occasion to enjoy a "free, fun, all ages non-commercial public event" in a "global community of participants, not consumers," according to the organisers of the pillow fights.