''A rapa das bestas'' is the name given to the annual ''curro'' (roundup) of wild horses celebrated the first Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday of July in Sabucedo,

A Estrada A Estrada is a municipality of the Pontevedra province in Galicia in northwestern Spain. It is located some southeast of Santiago de Compostela. Etymology The name comes from the Latin word ''strata'', with the meaning of ''trodden earth, where ...

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Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the '' Comarca'' (County) and Province of Pontevedra, and of the Rías Baixas in Galicia. It is also the capital of its own municipality wh ...

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. Across more than 200 km² of hillside currently more than six-hundred horses roam freely in fourteen droves, referred to in Galician as ''bestas'' (mares) and ''garañones'' (stallions). The festival involves bringing the horses down from the hillside, gathering them into an enclosure, cutting their manes and tails, and tagging them, nowadays with a microchip. The ''curro'' in Sabucedo is the most renowned of all and is set apart from the rest by unique characteristics, the most important of which is that neither ropes, sticks, nor other such instruments are used to subdue the animals. The ''aloitadores'', those responsible for restraining the horses whilst the ''rapa'' takes place, use only their body strength and raw skill to complete the job. Another interesting feature of the ''rapa'' is the ''Bajada''– the process of rounding up the horses and leading them into Sabucedo – a part of the celebration joined by hundreds of local residents and visitors from further afield. Another element of the tradition is the celebration of a poignant mass, held very early on the Saturday morning, before going up the hill. During the mass, the congregation pray to San Lorenzo, the patron saint of Sabucedo, to keep those participating from any harm. According to the scholar Manuel Cabada,''A Rapa das bestas de Sabucedo. Historia e antropoloxía dunha tradición'' (Vigo, Ir Indo, 1992). the ''rapa'' is a rite of passage from childhood to adolescence for those who seize a foal for the first time, guided and assisted by the older generation. The town of

is twinned with Almonte, located in the province of

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, due to a similar celebration that takes place called ''Saca de las Yeguas''.

History

Records show that the tradition of the ''bajada'', the subsequent ''rapa'' and the marking of the young foals dates back to the beginning of the 18th century. Nevertheless, it is believed that the tradition is actually much older as scholars such as Manuel Cabada have mentioned in their writings. In fact it could even be Pre-Roman, given that various

petroglyphs A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

have been found in the area in which men are depicted on horseback. In 1963, the festival was declared of

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, and in 2007 was awarded the status of International Touristic Interest, one of only four in Galicia to hold this prestigious title.

References

Animal festival or ritual Galician culture Spanish culture Traditions Equestrian festivals {{Galicia-stub

History

See also

References