Since ancient times, nomadic shepherds have moved their flocks in search of better climates and more food. Traditionally, they would move from Castilla y León in the autumn to Extremadura, and then back again in the spring.
Long before Madrid became the bustling metropolis it is today, shepherds, permitted by law, herded their flocks through fields and woodland in this area. But as urban sprawl took over, the grazing lands of old and the droving paths have been whittled away. For the past ten years, shepherds have brought their sheep to the centre of Madrid to defend their right to use the country's fast disappearing droving routes, some of which have been in use for more than 800 years.
 |
| Sheep! |
The fiesta is always on a Sunday, so the sheep spend Saturday night in Casa de Campo. The next morning they are herded down Calle Mayor and into Plaza de la Villa, for a welcome meeting (bleating?) and the symbolic payment of 25 maravedís, coins first minted in the 11th century. From there, they make their way into town passing by Sol, Cibeles and Puerta de Alcalá. They then head back to Casa de Campo.
 |
| Waiting for the sheep to arrive |
 |
| Let the fiesta begin! |
Keen to see as much of the parade as possible, I had chosen to meet the sheep on Calle Segovia near the cathedral. I was surprised, not to mention rather pleased, to note that there were very few people around. But, as I later discovered, that was because they had already staked their places on Calle Mayor! At least I got a few minutes of uninterrupted photo-taking.
 |
| Following the flock |
 |
| Baa baa black sheep... |
 |
| Crowd-surfing |
 |
| Standing head and, er, horns above the rest |
It took absolutely ages to get from Calle Mayor to Sol, for which I blame the goats! There were just four of them, but they were far from happy about being herded and so they stopped dead. It took the sheep a few minutes to notice they'd stopped, but when they did, the entire flock came to a standstill.
As the farmers tried to get them moving again, the flock started panicking. Sheep were milling around in all directions, bleating like crazy and jostling for position. And at the centre of it all, utterly motionless, were the goats. Or reindeer. At least according to a nearby child, who excitedly shouted, "Hay un reno!" (There's a reindeer!). His parents made no attempt to correct him, making me wonder if city people really can't distinguish between a reindeer and a Spanish goat...
 |
| Reindeer or goat? |
The organisers stormed alongside the flock, shouting at people to get back and physically pushing those who were slow to respond. With tempers rising, some spectators got in on the act. A rather aggressive man, who had already 'suggested' nastily that I move, grabbed an older lady by the arm and yanked her backwards with such force that she tripped on the kerb and almost fell. I put out my hand to steady her, and then hastily took my leave as the two started yelling at each other.
 |
| Confusion on Calle Mayor |
I ran up to Sol, both to escape the aggression and to grab a decent vantage point. Thinking it better to go as far along the route as possible, I found myself standing on Calle de Alcalá, mere feet from farmers dressed in colourful clothing, singing and dancing. Having been unable to see the earlier performance at Plaza de la Villa, I was delighted to catch this one.
 |
| Women performing a traditional dance |
 |
| Women in traditional dress watching the dancers |
From Sol the procession moved down Calle de Alcalá, heading for Cibeles. With the road closed off to traffic, both spectators and sheep had a little more space. The sheep took full advantage of this and several of them broke free from the flock to graze the central reservation and devour the pansies.
 |
| One of the badly-behaved goats |
 |
| Heading for Cibeles |
 |
| Mmmm... pansies |
 |
| A sea of sheep |
I followed the sheep all the way to Puerta de Alcalá, and that's where we parted ways (after a few more photos of course). I headed home while they swung a right and started the long walk back to Casa de Campo.
 |
| Anyone know where we are? |
 |
| Spectator sheep |
No comments:
Post a Comment