Horses are purified by fire in Spain

Photos

70 Members1,643 Posts

Horses are purified by fire in Spain

Emil Lendof

featured

Jan 17, 2018

1 of 16

A horse waits for the start of the “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

A horse waits for the start of the “Luminarias” celebration on the eve of Saint Anthony’s Day, honoring Spain’s patron saint of animals, in the village of San Bartolome de Pinares, northwest of Madrid. For 500 years, dozens have gathered on the cobblestone streets of the small village of San Bartolome to ride their horses through bonfires. The tradition is meant to purify and protect the horses. Reuters

2 of 16

A horse is seen 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… Reuters

3 of 16

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… Reuters

4 of 16

A woman 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… Reuters

5 of 16

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… Reuters

6 of 16

Riders wait for the start of the “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… Reuters

7 of 16

MADRID, SPAIN – JANUARY 17: A man rides his horse through fire to purify and protect his horse during the Las Luminarias festival at the San Bartolome de Pinares village… Getty Images

8 of 16

MADRID, SPAIN – JANUARY 17: A man rides his horse through fire to purify and protect his horse during the Las Luminarias festival at the San Bartolome de Pinares village… Getty Images

9 of 16

MADRID, SPAIN – JANUARY 17: Men ride horses through fire to purify and protect their horses during the Las Luminarias festival at the San Bartolome de Pinares village in Madrid,… Getty Images

10 of 16

MADRID, SPAIN – JANUARY 17: Men ride horses through fire to purify and protect their horses during the Las Luminarias festival at the San Bartolome de Pinares village in Madrid,… Getty Images

11 of 16

MADRID, SPAIN – JANUARY 17: A man rides his horse through fire to purify and protect his horse during the Las Luminarias festival at the San Bartolome de Pinares village… Getty Images

12 of 16

MADRID, SPAIN – JANUARY 17: A man rides his horse through fire to purify and protect his horse during the Las Luminarias festival at the San Bartolome de Pinares village… Getty Images

13 of 16

MADRID, SPAIN – JANUARY 17: Men ride horses through fire to purify and protect their horses during the Las Luminarias festival at the San Bartolome de Pinares village in Madrid,… Getty Images

14 of 16

MADRID, SPAIN – JANUARY 17: A man rides his horse through fire to purify and protect his horse during the Las Luminarias festival at the San Bartolome de Pinares village… Getty Images

15 of 16

MADRID, SPAIN – JANUARY 17: A woman rides her horse through fire to purify and protect her horse during the Las Luminarias festival at the San Bartolome de Pinares village… Getty Images

16 of 16

MADRID, SPAIN – JANUARY 17: A man rides his horse through fire to purify and protect his horse during the Las Luminarias festival at the San Bartolome de Pinares village… Getty Images

Comments

Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy