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Reuters

Scores of riders jumped their horses through roaring flames in a Spanish village, as part of an annual festival that locals say is an integral part of their culture, but is condemned by animal rights groups.

The festival, dubbed Las Luminarias, takes place every January 16 in San Bartolome de Pinares, northwest of Madrid, on the eve of Saint Anthony’s Day, which celebrates Spain’s patron saint of animals.
Pamplona’s running of the bulls: the good, bad and ugly sides
Participants believe that horses who leap through the flames of specially constructed bonfires will be purified during the coming year.
Organisers claim that the festival dates back some 500 years.

Animal rights groups have long been critical of the event.
Spanish political party the Animalist Party Against the Mistreatment of Animals described the festival on its website as an example of “clear animal abuse”.

The town’s mayor Maria Jesus Martin Gomez disagrees.
“The only thing I have to say is that the animals don’t suffer anything at all,” she says.
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“The government of Castilla and Leon assign us a vet and the City Hall hires another one, who is making rounds all around the village during the festival.
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Every year they produce a report which has always been favourable and nothing has ever happened here.”


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Spain

In pictures: horses jump through roaring flames at controversial Spanish festival

A man rides a horse through flames during the annual Luminarias celebration on the eve of Saint Anthony's day, Spain's patron saint of animals, in the village of San Bartolome de Pinares, northwest of Madrid. Photo: Reuters

A man drinks wine from a wineskin next to bonfires during the ritual in honor of Saint Anthony the Abbot in San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2018. On the eve of Saint Anthony's Day, dozens ride their horses through the narrow cobblestone streets of the small village of San Bartolome during the "Luminarias," a tradition that dates back 500 years and is meant to purify the animals with the smoke of the bonfires and protect them for the year to come. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

A man cleans a horse in a stable before the annual "Luminarias" celebration on the eve of Saint Anthony's day, Spain's patron saint of animals, in the village of San Bartolome de Pinares, northwest of Madrid, Spain, January 16, 2018. Picture taken January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Juan Medina

TOPSHOT - Horsemen jump over a bonfire in the village of San Bartolome de Pinares in the province of Avila in central Spain, during the opening of the traditional religious festival "Luminarias" in honour of San Antonio Abad (Saint Anthony), patron saint of animals, on January 16, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS

The mayor of San Bartolome de Pinares says no horses are harmed during the festivals. Photo: AP

Critics say making horses jump through flames is ‘clear animal abuse’.

On the eve of Saint Anthony's Day, dozens ride their horses through the narrow cobblestone streets of San Bartolome de Pinares. Photo: AP

Riders and horses stand by bonfires before the start of the ritual. Photo: AP

A woman rides a horse through the flames. Photo: Reuters

At Barcelona’s Bagdad sex club, Catalonia independence drive is killing the mood

An actress performs on stage at the Bagdad nightclub, a notorious Barcelona venue famous for its pornographic shows but which is suffering amid the Catalan political crisis. Photo: AFP

EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / An actress performs on stage at the Bagdad nightclub in Barcelona on November 8, 2017. Bagdad, a notorious Barcelona nightclub with pornographic shows, is suffering along with other city hotspots amid the Catalan political crisis. Catalonia is one of the most visited regions in Spain, but tourism has already taken a hit from the crisis. / AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS

EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / Actors perform on stage at the Bagdad nightclub in Barcelona on November 8, 2017. Bagdad, a notorious Barcelona nightclub with pornographic shows, is suffering along with other city hotspots amid the Catalan political crisis. Catalonia is one of the most visited regions in Spain, but tourism has already taken a hit from the crisis. / AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS

EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / Bagdad nightclub owner Juani De Lucia poses at the entrance of her club in Barcelona on November 8, 2017. Bagdad, a notorious Barcelona nightclub with pornographic shows, is suffering along with other city hotspots amid the Catalan political crisis. Catalonia is one of the most visited regions in Spain, but tourism has already taken a hit from the crisis. / AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS

Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

Animal rights activists are calling it ‘clear animal abuse’, but residents and participants says the 500-year-old festival celebrating Spain’s patron saint of animals doesn’t harm the horses, it purifies them for the year ahead


In pictures: horses jump through roaring flames at controversial Spanish festival

.css-jfmysa{display:inline;word-break:break-word;}.css-1ankfgb{cursor:pointer;display:inline;word-break:break-word;}Pamplona’s running of the bulls: the good, bad and ugly sides

Pamplona’s running of the bulls: the good, bad and ugly sides