A (in Spanish), (in Catalan), roughly meaning 'bull with balls', is a festive activity, typical of many towns in Spain (mainly in the

Valencian community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wit ...

and Southern

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

), in which a

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...

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 ( in Catalan). 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 Cruelty is the intentional infliction of suffering or the inaction towards another's suffering when a clear remedy is readily available. Sadism can also be related to this form of action or concept. Cruel ways of inflicting suffering may involv ...

Background

The animal is usually tied to a post and then teams of people prevent it from moving while a wooden frame with two spikes with balls of flammable material is attached to its horns. These are then set alight and the rope is cut. Sometimes

fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

are attached too, which then go off shortly afterwards. There is usually a barricade separating the bull from the spectators. A somewhat similar activity is the , in which the live bull is replaced by a bull-shaped metal frame (held by a runner) which is set alight.

Vejer de la Frontera Vejer de la Frontera is a Spanish hilltop town and municipality in the province of Cádiz, Andalusia, on the right bank of the river Barbate. The town of Vejer de la Frontera occupies a low hill overlooking the Straits of Gibraltar and surrounded ...

has held the yearly El Toro Embolao on

Easter Sunday Easter, also called Pascha (Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek language, Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, de ...

since 1976, where two bulls are let loose in the city. In 2019 a 74-year-old man was gored to death.

References

Animal festival or ritual Animal welfare Bull sports Cruelty to animals Festivals in Spain Traditions involving fire {{spain-stub

Background

See also

References