Al toro de Cuerda - Grazalema - Andalusia

Every Monday after the feast of the Virgen del Carmen (July 16) it is in Grazalema "Lunes del Toro de Cuerda".

Bulls, tied to a rope , are led through a completely fenced circuit by the young men of the peña "Lunes del Toro de Cuerda".

An important feature of this local festival is the respect for the animal , as mistreating the bull is traditionally considered an act of cowardice.

It is the city's most entrenched celebration and one of the oldest Toros de Cuerda in Spain. Roman historians mentioned that the festival of the bull was celebrated in the region over 2000 years ago.

During the feast, three bulls are fought for up to 3 hours - each up to an hour - and it works like this:

1: at 8:00 am. The running of the bulls goes from Calle Nueva to Plaza de España. This is the shortest route, it is done in a few minutes.

2: at 12:00 p.m. The tour starts at Plaza de España, and continues through the main streets. This takes about an hour.

3: at 7 p.m. The most important and the longest. Traditionally, one bull is released on Plaza de España and another on Calle Nueva, but not at the same time. It is forbidden to run more than one bull at a time during the tour. Both the start and the end of the bull rounds are announced with fireworks.

Willem Vandenameele