The celebration dates back five centuries to when the plague was fought with Roman Catholic rituals that used the smoke for purification.
Many Spanish residents took to the streets on January 16 to ride their horses through bonfire flames as part of a planned display that got its start several centuries ago.- In recent years, tourists, journalists and photography aficionados have put attention on the ritual, which has come under attack from animal rights groups.
- When agriculture was far more important, mules and donkeys also were led past the bonfires in a purifying ritual. Now, horses are the only animals used.
- San Bartolome de Pinares has kept its luminarias festival alive with religious intensity and unswerving pride, fending off criticism from animal rights groups.
- Riders guide their horses into the flames as part of a jumping tradition that lasts until midnight, which is when the horse riding stops.
- Taking part is meant to purify the animals, and locals insist that the horses are never hurt, but instead are protected for the coming year by the smoke and flames.
- The religious revelry, wherein hundreds of people ride their horses through the narrow cobblestone streets of the small village, dates back 500 years.
- Each year, on the eve of Saint Anthony's Day, Spain's patron saint of domestic animals - the village of San Bartolome de Pinares celebrates the Luminarias festival.
Many Spanish residents took to the streets on January 16 to ride their horses through bonfire flames as part of a planned display that got its start several centuries ago.
The celebration dates back five centuries to when the plague was fought with Roman Catholic rituals that used the smoke for purification.
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