The return of a Spanish festival in which horses jump through bonfires in a “purification ritual” has once again fanned the flames of controversy, with animal rights groups condemning it as cruel “superstitious nonsense”.
About a hundred animals and their riders took part in Las Luminarias, which is held in San Bartolomé, about 60 miles west of Madrid, every January 16. The event was cancelled last year because of Covid-19.
Horses gallop through the town’s cobbled streets before passing through the bonfires, which tradition says will protect them from disease in the year ahead. Local resident Fermin Abad, 64, said: “This comes from thousands of years ago. So that animals did not get unwell, the old priests would bless them with fires so that they would jump and be purified.
Organisers say the animals come to no harm during the festival as their hair is trimmed to avoid catching fire. Festival goer Andrea Penela said: “You don’t even realise it. It’s like running your finger over a lighter.”
But animal protection groups say that being led through fire would be a terrifying experience for sensitive and skittish creatures like horses. Britain’s League Against Cruel Sports called Las Luminarias “a cruel and outmoded ritual which the organisers should end.”
