The horses that cross the fire in Spain to ward off epidemics

Spain (AFP) .- At full gallop, a horse emerges from the darkness and crosses the flames without slowing down. In the Spanish town of San Bartolomé de Pinares, every night on January 16, horses cross the bonfires to ward off epidemics, in an ancient tradition.

Under the pale light of an almost full moon, on a frigid night in San Antón, some municipal employees with their faces covered in sweat feed with dry branches the bonfires scattered along the main street of this town of 600 inhabitants, located in height at a hundred kilometers west of Madrid.

Some rattles can be heard and suddenly the metallic thunder of hooves on cobblestones echoes in the night.

One after another, the horses appear and trample the incandescent branches of the fires, without slowing down.

The helmets make sparks fly amid the cheers of hundreds of spectators on the sidewalks, bathed in the light and heat of the fire and hypnotized by a spectacle that immerses the town in a mystical and medieval atmosphere.

For an hour, the procession of horses performs its dance between the fire.

Called the Luminaries, this tradition dates back to the 18th century, when an epidemic decimated the equine population.

“When an animal died of infection, it literally burned,” and since “the epidemic disappeared, then it was believed that the smoke was protective of animals,” explains Leticia Martín, a 29-year-old physiotherapist, rider of “Fiel”.

purifying fires

“These purifying fires of all animal diseases are celebrated on the eve of Saint Antón Abad”, patron saint of animals, details Antón Erkoreka, director of the Basque Museum of the History of Medicine, who recalls that masses are celebrated throughout Spain to bless the animals.

“It is a curious party that what it tries to do is get or ask the saint for protection for animals,” he adds.

In other cities of Spain, bonfires are also lit, but on different dates and without horses, to remember the epidemics and plague.

Now, when the coronavirus epidemic is two years old, this tradition becomes more symbolic.

But the celebration has nothing to do with covid-19, remembers Emmanuel Martín, 26 years old. It is to bless the animals and so that they are “clean all year round: the smoke from the green branches comes to purify them”, details.

“It’s not a show, it’s not prepared to entertain people,” emphasizes this man who participated in his first Luminarias when he was two years old, in his father’s arms.

Supported by the public, a rider crosses the pyres with his arms outstretched. His horse has a braided mane to protect it from fire.

Adrenalin

Highly criticized by animal advocates, this tradition “does no harm to the horse or the rider”, guarantees Emmanuel Martin.

“You don’t even know. (It’s like) passing a finger for a second through a lighter (lighter),” details his cousin, Andrea Penela.

Every year veterinarians sent by regional authorities, as well as firefighters, participate in the event.

“If I considered that there is some risk for them (the horses), I would not do it,” says Mario Candil, a resident of San Bartolomé.

“Nothing has ever happened to anyone. Never”, seconded Monce García, 49, who came to once again enjoy the “ambience, the smoke, of this typical tradition of the town”.

Already descended from the horse, Noelia Guerra, a 46-year-old pharmacist, speaks of the “sensations, the adrenaline”, which, like her, “animates” the animals. “You don’t have to force them, they go by themselves,” he says.

After a pandemic hiatus last year, the “purified” horses are back in the stables, steaming from their nostrils.

“In this town, there has been no case of covid before December 2021″, when ómicron arrived. “We laughed: ‘This is because we didn’t do the Luminaries in January 2021′”, says Leticia Martín.