He hung upside down and brutally killed in the market square. It is the fate of hens, ducks and geese that during the Santiago festival in Spain become the object of the dispute: the winner is whoever manages to tear their neck first.
He hung upside down and brutally killed in the market square. It is the fate of chickens, ducks and geese that during the feast of Santiago in Spain, become the object of the dispute: the winner is whoever manages to tear his neck first.
Warning this article contains images that may offend your sensitivity
It happens to The Carpio de Tajo, a Spanish municipality located in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha where every year children and adults on horseback compete against each other, giving rise to an aberrant spectacle.
Geese, ducks and chickens are hung by the legs with a long string stretched in the market square. The 'tradition' has it that whoever manages to snatch his neck first wins a trophy.
Everyone takes part in the show, even children. At the start we start at a gallop on a horse and aim for the unfortunate creature that finds certain death. But this does not matter to the improvised knights, for them it is fun to kill an animal in such a senseless and cruel way.
A practice that joins many others. And while many cities are abandoning bullfighting, the same cannot be said of other Spanish customs. In Coria, for example, a crowd of people chase bulls through the streets to throw darts in their eyes; in Fuenlabrade, near Madrid, bulls and cows are beaten, stabbed, only to die of bleeding. In March in Salas de los Infantes hens and turkeys are beaten by boys, who are blindfolded. In December in Notilla del Palancar the hens are stoned.
A long series of horrors that are justified under the name of traditions, but what is beautiful about killing innocent creatures in this way is still to be understood.
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Dominella Trunfio
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