Flaming bull

[Deleted member 3000]

MADRID (AP) — A flaming-horned bull trampled and fatally gored a man early Saturday during a festival in eastern Spain, an official said.

Large balls of flaming wax are traditionally affixed to the beasts' heads before they are let loose to rampage through squares and narrow streets in such festivals.

The mayor of Navajas, population 730, said emergency services in his town were unable to save the life of the 45-year-old man whose name was withheld. Jose Vicente Torres said the accident happened when the man, who had traveled from Alboraia, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) to the south, tripped just as the bull was released.

Torres said the bull charged the man, gored him and then stamped on his head, causing him "irreversible injuries." He said he had offered his condolences to the man's family, but would not cancel similar events scheduled for early Sunday.

"Although ours is a small town, many people from outside come to visit our feast dedicated to Saint Anton," Torres said, adding that black bows had been tied to town hall flags as a mark of respect and mourning.

Many towns in east and northeastern Spain celebrate feasts with "toros embolados," or "flaming bulls," which feature the animals racing around and shaking their heads as a reaction to flames or fireworks attached to or close to their horns. At these regional festivals, flaming-horned bulls are taunted and teased by rowdy crowds in bullrings, town squares or down streets. Unlike with most other events involving bulls, the animals aren't killed in the end.

The regional parliament of northeastern Catalonia banned bullfighting in July 2010 following a signature-collection campaign by animal rights activists. The ban took effect Jan. 1. But the region then passed other legislation protecting flaming bulls, called "correbous" in the Catalan language. Many critics said banning one act while enshrining the other in law was hypocrisy.

 

[grayland]

I saw that in the news, also.
I checked to see if the town was located on any of the Camino routes and found that it is to the east of Madrid....if I located it correctly. Happy to hear that we will not have to deal with Bulls with flaming horns as we trek to Santiago. I have seen many unusual things on the Camino...but this would probably take 1st place. :wink:

 

[+@^^]

good for this Saint Anton dude
let not minor inconveniences mar the festivities for the masses
.
parhaps they could consider introducing the "flaming-A" as a type of sideshow
for when the bull gets tired

 

[bromeliad]

good for this Saint Anton dude
let not minor inconveniences mar the festivities for the masses
.
parhaps they could consider introducing the "flaming-A" as a type of sideshow
for when the bull gets tired

how about a flaming person? any volunteers?...

 

[miguel_gp]

Flaming Bulls

Wasn't there a recent discussion advising you what underwear to use to prevent this ? :shock:

 

[grayland]

Flaming Bulls

Wasn't there a recent discussion advising you what underwear to use to prevent this ? :shock:

"BULLS" The underwear thread was spelled a little differently. :wink: :wink:

 

[Arn]

Come on guys...get a grip...this is getting a bit off course!

Though I must I remember a story about how tapers were attached to the horns of goats and sent down a hill at night to sow fright into the invaders. But can't remember the entire context.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Attaching one to each horn would be quite a task.

 

[sharmuk]

Come on guys...get a grip...this is getting a bit off course!

Though I must I remember a story about how tapers were attached to the horns of goats and sent down a hill at night to sow fright into the invaders. But can't remember the entire context.

Book 22 of Livy's History of Rome says Hannibal used flaming brands on the horns of oxen to deceive the Romans.

http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/10907/pg10907.txt
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Secon...ts-into-the-Roman-Lines-Posters_i1866726_.htm

 

[Arn]

Sharmuk,

Yup, that's the one I was trying to remember!

Thanks

Arn

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Lots of Spaniards think attaching flaming things to bulls is cruel and unusual, and anyone who travels 40 km to be gored by said bull is just getting what he signed up for.

Pilgrims on their way to Santiago during fiesta season (June through September) may well run into an encierra -- there´s three of them every June in Sahagun, part of the Fiesta of San Juan de Sahagun. Young bulls are sent running through the streets and up to the bullring, chasing and being chased by young drunk men from the district. The bulls are teased and messed-about, but it is not considered overly dangerous. Until somebody gets hurt... last year, right outside the big pilgrim hostel, a young man was killed when he vaulted over the barrier fence to escape the bulls, and went head-first into the stone camino mile-marker. What a way to go.