transhumance – the action or practice of moving livestock from one grazing ground to another in a seasonal cycle, typically to lowlands in winter and highlands in summer
Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/transhumance-festival-madrid
Once a Year, Thousands of Sheep Take Over Madrid
A man dressed in a black beret and wide red belt appears on the plaza in front of Madrid’s City Hall, leading two black oxen joined together by a wooden contraption reminiscent of a distant era. Amidst the car-lined streets and illuminated shops, the scene stands in stark contrast to the modern city.
The oxen’s arrival at the Plaza de Cibeles marks the final act in the Fiesta de la Trashumancia, or Transhumance Festival, which has been taking place in the city every autumn (typically at the end of October) since 1994. Conceived by the Association of Transhumance and Nature, it was designed to recognize and celebrate the centuries-old tradition of seasonal livestock migration. Since then, hordes of sheep (and sometimes bulls and horses) take over the Spanish capital once a year. They stumble through the elegant streets of Madrid with their hoofs clattering on the asphalt and eyes glazed in terror.
Singing and dancing precedes them. Keeping the beat with castanets, women in mantillas, customary head coverings, and large, colorful skirts with aprons and men in wide pants tucked into long socks swirl around each other in a jota, a traditional Spanish dance. The dancers wear wooden shoes on spikes, paying homage to the pastors who wear them to navigate muddy fields.
Accompanied by the sounds of flutes and tambourines, Madrid Mayor Manuela Carmena greets the shepherds in front of City Hall. When the 2,000 sheep appear on the square, the public—until now disciplined enough to keep to the sidewalks—spills onto the plaza. The sheep falter at the chaos at first, but then push forward, spurred on by ranchers yielding long sticks. The shepherds pay the mayor 50 maravedís al millar—50 coins per thousand heads—the payment established in 1418 for crossing the city.
In her 2016 speech, the mayor suggested making the festival a regularly-held event in which people could join ranchers on their way to Madrid. “It’s a beautiful tradition,” she says. “Why not?”
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Transhumance Festival celebrated in Spain
Source: http://www.news.cn/english/2021-10/25/c_1310266393.htm
People watch sheep and goats walking through the city center on the occasion of the Transhumance Festival in Madrid, Spain, Oct. 24, 2021. Thousands of sheep and cows were paraded through the city center here during a celebration of the Transhumance Festival on Sunday, a centuries-old tradition in Spain. The festival originated from the transhumance practice, in which shepherds in winter drove their cattle and sheep from the mountains to the warm meadows and in summer returned to the mountains to ensure their animals are well fed. (Xinhua/Meng Dingbo)
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Madrid taken over by hundreds of sheep for annual festival
Madrid’s streets were left baa-dly congested on Sunday, as more than 2,000 sheep passed through its bustling city centre for an annual event.
The Spanish capital sits on an ancient migration route where shepherds would move their livestock south for the winter. The event is known as Fiesta de la Trashumancia (transhumance festival) and is promoted by local tourist authorities.
The festival started in 1994 and is designed to pay homage to the area’s rural heritage. It exploits a medieval rule which allows shepherds the right to cut through the city with their animals. Every year, a nominal fee is paid in exchange for the safe passage of the animals, in a ceremony between the mayor and the chief herdsman at the city hall.
It honours a 1418 agreement with the city’s council where the price of 50 maravedís al millar (50 coins per thousand heads of livestock) was set for the animal traffic.
Some accompanying the animals wear traditional clothing, including clogs, for the festivities.
Visitors to the city on Sunday took some time to take in the bizarre sight – with the capital unusually free of traffic.
“We didn’t know but we were lucky,” one tourist told Reuters news agency.
“We just arrived yesterday and they told us it’s going on today. And we were like – oh yes! Once a year and we are here.”
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