Rein of fire: Spanish villagers are hot to trot in flame-jumping festival




It looks more like the charging horsemen of the apocalypse than a ceremony to bring prosperity and protection.

For the 700-odd residents of San Bartolome de Pinares in Spain, it is the culmination of a tradition that dates back 500 years.

Every year, ahead of the feast of St Anthony on January 18, men, women and children collect piles of branches and wood to build bonfires. The night before St Anthony's Day, riders thunder through the narrow cobblestones of the small village - jumping over and riding through the various pyres.



Charge! A horse and rider emerge from the flames in a dramatic display of courage from both man and animal during the 'Luminarias' in San Bartolome de Pinares

It looks worse than it is: Horse and rider appear to be totally ungulfed as they pass between bonfires

Blazing saddles: While animal activists have claimed that the 500-year-old tradition is cruel, riders and organisers say that the animals come to no harm

The tradition, called 'Luminarias', is meant to purify the animals with the smoke of the bonfires and protect them for the year to come.

As the riders jump across the flames, musicians fill the air with the sound of drums and Spanish bagpipes.



The riding might stop around midnight, but the party is just getting started - the bonfires turn into huge barbecues and the festivities continue until dawn.

The locally produced alcohol, which boosts the riders' courage early in the night, is used to wash down the traditional feast of chorizo sausages and black pudding.

Drinking helps: An integral part of the tradition involves sampling the locally produced alcohol - both for courage and for fun

Riders on the firestorm: Villagers of San Bartolome de Pinares believe the festival protects their horses, mules and donkeys throughout the coming year



Egyptian-born St Anthony Abad has been acknowledged since the Middle Ages as the patron saint of domesticated animals.

The villagers of San Bartolome de Pinares believe their mules, donkeys and horses are protected by St Anthony throughout the year because of the festival.



It has been criticised by animal rights activists who claim it is cruel, but organisers insist the horses come to no harm.