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Subscribe to RSSWe've posted images from this annual event before on Photoblog. Here's a sampling from this year. What a ride.
Andrea Comas / Reuters
A man rides his horse through flames during the "Luminarias" annual religious celebration on the eve of Saint Anthony's Day in the village of San Bartolome de los Pinares, about 62 miles northwest of Madrid, Jan. 16. According to tradition, people from the area ride their horses through the fire to purify the animals. Saint Anthony is the patron saint of animals.
Andrea Comas / Reuters
A man tries to ride his horse through flames during the "Luminarias" annual religious celebration on the eve of Saint Anthony's Day in the village of San Bartolome de los Pinares, about 62 miles northwest of Madrid Jan. 16.
Arturo Rodriguez / AP
A man rides a horse through a bonfire in San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, on Sunday, Jan. 16, during a traditional festival in honor of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of animals.
Arturo Rodriguez / AP
A man rides a horse through a bonfire in San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, on Sunday, Jan. 16, during a traditional festival in honor of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of animals.
Arturo Rodriguez / AP
A man rides a horse through a bonfire in San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, on Sunday, Jan. 16, during a traditional festival in honor of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of animals.
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Maybe I just don't get it, but if this is to honor the patron saint of animals, why are they risking burning them???? There is the one horse above that actually looks like the flame is curling around his neck--and he is not moving through the flame. So, I'm pretty sure he's sustaining a burn. Some ancient traaditions, like this and bullfighting, need to go by the wayside.
That is a festival that should come to an end. What a testament to the trust of horses that will do what their stupid owners ask of them. We owe it to our animals to be good "stewards", and riding through fire for no good reason is not being a good steward. And for those who wonder "What is a good reason to ride through fire?"....the only thing I could think of is if your property or barn was burning and the only way out is through fire.
If by "purify" they mean "burn all their hair off," then yes, this ceremony would seem to fulfill its purpose. That doesn't make it any more logical, but logic was definitely not the point here. It reminds me of Dave Barry's classic column about the Festival of St. Vincent in Manganeses de la Polvorosa in Spain, where villagers celebrate the opening of the festival by dropping a live goat from a church belfry (and catching it in a tarp, hopefully every time).
If they want to run through fire they should do so on foot. It does say alot about an animals trust . Perhaps the horses will not trust them so much in the future. Maybe they will put on the brakes and toss one of them into the flames next time so they can feel what its like. These animals look terrified. Stupid people.
Yea, I'm impressed. Not, my cup of tea, but to each their own. That said, the bottom shot has a medieval feel that's sort of groovy and sets the tome for what era this festival came from, and where it still resides
Spanish war horses in medieval times were prized for their boldness and courage. Those horses charged into battle conditions far worse than this...for their masters, those horses would literally leap into fire. The majority of the pictures I've seen show these horse with their ears pricked forward, not laid back in fear. Ridden fast enough, the fire probably wouldn't do any damage, maybe some scorched hair.
Having said that, it's not something I would ask of my beloved horse.