Screenshot of the report
According to the British "Daily Mail" reported on the 16th, in a small village in Spain, 100 horses were forced to jump over a series of bonfires, which is part of the local traditional "purification ceremony" with a history of hundreds of years, the event was suspended during the new crown epidemic and resumed last Sunday.
San Bartolomé de Pinares is a village located 96 kilometers west of Madrid. Every year on 16 January, the eve of Saint Anthony's Day in Spain, the village celebrates the traditional Night Light Festival. St. Anthony is known as the patron saint of animals, and the revelers ride their horses through the narrow cobblestone streets that, according to tradition, use fire to "purify" animals in the new year.
Abad, a 64-year-old local resident, said that in order to prevent the animals from getting sick, the old priest would bless them with fire and make them jump up, thus being "purified."
While the event has been criticized by animal rights groups over the years, local event organizers said the horses were not harmed because riders took precautions to trim their horses to avoid burns.
Leticia Martin, a 29-year-old physiotherapist, points out that in ancient times, when animals died of an infection, they had to be burned: "So when an epidemic disappeared, people began to believe that fireworks protected animals. ”
The report mentioned that veterinarians and firefighters sent by the local government rush to the event site every year.
(Editor: WDQ)