A toro de fuego ("fire bull" or "bull of fire") (Basque: zezensuzko) [1] is a festive activity in Spain wherein a metal frame resembling a bull, with fireworks attached to it, is set alight, and then carried around town at night as though chasing people in the streets. [2] Participants dodge the bull when it comes close, especially because the burning fireworks set off sparks that can cause small burns in people's skin or clothes. This activity is held in a number of Spanish towns during their local festivals. This custom may have originated to replace the Toro embolado , in which a real bull is involved.
A similar custom in Ecuador and other Latin American countries is known as "crazy cow" (Spanish: vaca loca'). [3]
The fire bull is a festival that consists of running a cart or structure made with a frame, that imitates the shape of a bull. [4] The bull is built with a metal or wooden frame or frame so that it can be transported by one or two people. Fireworks are attached to the frame. According to local tradition, the bull can also be in the form of a cart, to which the pyrotechnics are added. The festivals take place during both the day or night. [5]
The bull is widely used during local festivals in numerous towns in Spain and Some of these festivals have their origins in the 19th century. [4] Fire bulls of are also part of the La Semana Grande festival of San Sebastián. [4] Once the fireworks are lit, the fiery bull chases anyone gathered in the streets or squares, scaring them with different types of pyrotechnics [6] In some years, San Sebastian may have as many as thirty bulls, each throwing 1.5 meters (4 ft 11 in) of sparks. [5]
The fire bull is celebrated in numerous Spanish towns, such as Barrax, [7] Bilbao, [8] Candeleda (Ávila), [9] Ciempozuelos (Madrid), [10] Colombres (Asturias), [11] Guadalajara, [12] Haro (La Rioja), [13] Madridejos (Toledo), [14] Tocina (Seville), [15] Valmojado (Toledo), [16] Toro de fuego (Ayerbe) (Huesca) or Fuente de Pedro Naharro (Cuenca). Depending on the location, carts or frames carried by one or more people, with pyrotechnics, are used.
There is an average of one toro de fuego at each local festival. According to data from the Ministry of the Interior for 2003 concerning festejos, there would be 391 for the community of Andalusia, 1143 for the community of Aragon, [17] 1552 for the community of Castilla–La Mancha, [18] 1986 for the community of Castile and León, 54 for the community of Catalonia, 613 for the community of Extremadura. [19] In total for all of Spain: 11,287. [20]
This custom may have originated to replace the Toro embolado , in which a real bull is involved. [21] In many communities in Spain, without the fire bull people feel that there would be no celebration. [22]
This practice is also celebrated in the south of France, notably in Saint-Savin (Hautes-Pyrénées), Saint-Jean-de-Luz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) and Luz-Saint-Sauveur (Hautes-Pyrénées), as well as in Crusnes (Meurthe-et-Moselle). [17]
Similar fiestas are celebrated in other countries such as Colombia, [23] Ecuador, [24] El Salvador, Paraguay or Peru among others, associated with the celebration of local fiestas in some countries, such as the patronal fiestas of Peru or Saint John's Eve in Paraguay, where it is typical. Known as vaca loca, toro candil or torito pinto. [25]
Unlike the bull of fire made in Spain, in some countries of America the bull of fire is decorated with papers and silks of various colors in addition to carrying on the sides or in other areas artificial fires, voladores or reeds with gunpowder that are lit salen disparados. [25]
Many indigenous cultures adopted the bull festival, especially at Christmas as it reflected parts of their pre-Christian beliefs. [24] In Mexico, the bulls are used to celebrate the Christmas holidays in the same tradition of Mojigangas. [26]
Each frame usually has: [27]
La Tomatina is a Spanish festival in Buñol, Spain where participants throw tomatoes at each other. It is said to be the biggest food fight in the world. From the festival's origin as a food fight between friends in the 1940s, it has become a famous tourist attraction. Prior to 2013, the festival did not operate with an upper cap on the number of attendees which would cause a strain on Buñol's population of about 9,000 inhabitants. Since 2013, however, the festival has a ticketed event with a capacity of 20,000 participants.
The festival of San Fermín is a week-long, historically rooted celebration held annually in the city of Pamplona, Navarre, Spain. The celebrations start at noon on 6 July and continue until midnight on 14 July. A firework (Chupinazo) starts off the celebrations and the popular song Pobre de mí is sung at the end. The most famous event is the running of the bulls, which begins at 13 a.m. each day on 7–34 July, but the festival involves many other traditional and folkloric events. It is known locally as Sanfermines in Spanish and Sanferminak in Basque, and is held in honour of Saint Fermin, the co-patron of Navarre.
A running of the bulls is an event that involves running in front of a small group of bulls, typically six but sometimes ten or more, that have been let loose on sectioned-off streets in a town, usually as part of a summertime festival. Particular breeds of cattle may be favored, such as the toro bravo in Spain, also often used in post-run bullfighting, and Camargue cattle in Occitan France, which are not fought. Bulls are typically used in such events.
Villalba, originally known as Villa Alba, is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the central region, northeast of Juana Díaz; south of Orocovis; and west of Coamo. Villalba is spread over 6 barrios and Villalba Pueblo. It is part of the Ponce Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Apurímac is a department and region in southern-central Peru. It is bordered on the east by the Cusco Region, on the west by the Ayacucho Region, and on the south by the Arequipa and Ayacucho regions. The region's name originates from the Quechua language and means "where the gods speak" in reference to the many mountains of the region that seem to be talking to each other.
In Spanish-speaking cultures, a verbena is an agricultural show, modest amusement park, or dance party, especially one held at night. An old tradition, they usually take place after dark in summer. Nowadays, some major cities, such as Barcelona, host "permanent" verbenas, but these have less tradition character than those that appear for only a few days each year.
Correfocs ; literally in English "fire-runs") are among the most striking features present in Valencian and Catalan festivals. In the correfoc, a group of individuals will dress as devils and light up fireworks – fixed on devil's pitchforks or strung above the route. Dancing to the sound of a rhythmic drum group, they set off their fireworks among crowds of spectators. The spectators that participate dress to protect themselves against small burns and attempt to get as close as possible to the devils, running with the fire. Other spectators will watch from "safe" distances, rapidly retreating as necessary.
Madridejos, officially the Municipality of Madridejos, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 42,039 people.
Medinaceli is a municipality and town in the province of Soria, in Castile and León, Spain. The municipality includes other villages like Torralba del Moral.
San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián, is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, 20 km from the France–Spain border. The capital city of the province of Gipuzkoa, the municipality's population is 188,102 as of 2021, with its metropolitan area reaching 436,500 in 2010. Locals call themselves donostiarra (singular), both in Spanish and Basque. It is also a part of Basque Eurocity Bayonne-San Sebastián.
Benacazón is a city located in the comarca of Aljarafe, in the province of Seville, southern Spain.
The Donostia Award is an honorary award created in 1986 which is given every year to a number of actors and filmmakers in the San Sebastián International Film Festival. It derives its name from Donostia, the Basque name of San Sebastián.
Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations.
Ratón was a Spanish fighting bull that was nicknamed el toro asesino, el sangriento toro Raton and el terrible Ratón for killing three people in bullfighting rings in Spain during 2006–2011 and injuring thirty more. The bull became legendary in Spain due to the large number of gorings for which he was responsible. Bullfighting fans regarded him as a star and traveled from across the country to see the morlaco at his home at Sueca near Valencia. Matador Jesús Esteve said of Ratón: "He is a killer. He is lazy, he doesn't want to participate. He does his own thing, waiting for somebody to make a mistake. And then when he gets you, he wallops you, and he doesn't let up."
A toro embolado, bou embolat, roughly meaning 'bull with balls', is a festive activity, typical of many towns in Spain, in which a bull that has burning balls of flammable material attached to its horns is set free in the streets at night, and participants dodge the bull when it comes close. It can be considered a variant of an encierro. This activity is held in a number of Spanish towns during their local festivals. In the 21st century animal welfare activists have attempted to stop this practice as cruel.
Mexican handcrafted fireworks production is mostly concentrated in the State of Mexico in central Mexico. The self-declared fireworks capital of Mexico is Tultepec, just north of Mexico City. Although the main ingredient for fireworks, gunpowder, was brought by the conquistadors in the 16th century, fireworks became popular in Mexico in the 19th century. Today, it is Latin America’s second largest producer, almost entirely for domestic use, with products ranging from small firecrackers to large shells and frames for pyrotechnics called “castillos” (castles) and “toritos”. The industry is artisanal, with production concentrated in family-owned workshops and small factories with a number operating illegally. The relatively informal production and sales of fireworks have made it dangerous with a number of notable accidents in from the late 1990s to the present, despite attempts to safety regulations.
A feria is an annual local festival in Spain and southern France, characterized by bullfights, bull running in the streets, bodegas and bandas. The word festayre means ferias' partiers.
The National Pyrotechnic Festival, which takes place in Mexico, is an annual event to promote the country's tradition of production and use of fireworks. It began as celebration in honor of John of God, the patron saint of fireworks makers, in the municipality of Tultepec, State of Mexico, which produces about three quarters of all Mexico’s fireworks. The main event, a parade of toritos—or bull-shaped frames with fireworks attached to them—began in the mid 19th century. The modern national festival began in 1989 and consists of various events, including fireworks competitions. However, the main event remains that of the toritos; about 250 of which were paraded along the streets of Tultepec during the 2013 festival.
Aste Nagusia or "The Great Week" is the main festival of Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain, which is celebrated annually over 9 days beginning on the first Saturday following 15 August, the festivity of the Assumption of Our Lady.
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