Flaming Festivity: The Fiery Tradition of Los Escobazos

Every year on December 7, the town of Jarandilla de la Vera in Spain lights up with the Los Escobazos festival. Participants wield flaming brooms, originally used by shepherds, to symbolize purity and joy. The festival marks the eve of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

In Jarandilla de la Vera, a town 200 kilometers west of Madrid, the annual Los Escobazos festival brings the streets to life each December 7. Residents light bundles of twigs and engage in a playful yet symbolic ritual.

The fiery festival aligns with the eve of the Catholic feast, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Crowds gather as participants strike each other's legs with blazing brooms, a tradition believed to originate from shepherds navigating hillsides at night.

Local resident Jesus Ferino describes the experience exhilaratingly, emphasizing that the fire symbolizes purity. "We play with fire as if it were water," he told Reuters, noting the festival's safe and joyful nature.

(With inputs from agencies.)