Trashumance: thousands of sheep cross downtown Madrid
Today I saw sheep.
Behind me was a little kid trying to count how many sheep there were. He was pretty good at it.
transhumance(Noun)
the moving of cattle or other grazing animals to new pastures, often quite distant, according to the change in season
Transhumance is a very old word that is new to my vocabulary. People have practiced transhumance for centuries. Last year I missed it and today I finally had a chance to take pictures.
Here in Madrid the transhumance has been a part of local tradition for 601 years. Every year shepherds cross the heart of Spain’s capital taking their stock to a warmer location.
In the front line, people in traditional clothing playing castanets set the soundtrack while others played bagpipes.
A Spanish woman gives a reporter a piece of homemade bread.
A man gives out pieces of bread, slices of Spanish salami (mmm delicious), while a woman offers him wine. These are some of the most traditional Spanish foods.
A few of the sheep had bells strapped around their heads.
The sheep stopped by City Hall and Cybele’s statue. I mean, they’re entitled to a bit of sightseeing, aren’t they?
Boy guides his sheep along the Calle Mayor at Sol, right in front of the Apple Store.
It really seemed like a sea of sheep.
In front of the thousands of sheep a group of shepherds with sticks would threaten photographers that would stay in their way. And you know they’re right.
The Spanish Mastiff is the favorite shepherd dog in Spain. Or he just sneaked out with the sheep.
Some kids would stop and pet the sheep.
A little girl with a Star Wars t-shirt was the youngest shepherd I saw today.
This poor fella hurt her leg, so her owner put her on her back and carried her for the better part of the 2 miles.
You can’t believe the amount of sheep poo they left behind. Luckily, after 601 years, we’ve got technology to get rid of that quickly. I can’t say the same for my shoes.