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José Antonio Rico Ovejero has taken part in the event for the last three decades. Kike Para

A life-size bronze bull atop a plinth guards the entrance to Tordesillas, the small town in the northwestern province of Valladolid that has made international headlines in recent years over its centuries-old tradition of running a bull to ground each September in nearby woodland, and then spearing it to death.

Standing next to the statue on an overcast Saturday morning is José Antonio Rico Ovejero, who for 28 of his 43 years has taken part in the Toro de la Vega event.

But a decision by the regional government of Castilla y León to spare the animal has angered him and many others in Tordesillas. "It's like somebody walking into my house and changing the curtains," he says in exasperation.

Tordesillas has been attacked. The anti-bullfighting lobby comes here each year and insults us. Now they have banned a fiesta that has deep roots here. It's as though they had pulled down a monument Jesús López Garañeda, local historian

"There is no fiesta if the animal isn't killed. The whole point is to be down there: just you and him, in his territory. It's just your intelligence against his bravura. And you offer the animal the most valuable thing you have: your life," says Ovejero, a local civil servant who was gored in the leg in 1993, leaving him "clinically dead for three or four minutes." Ovejero says that as a child he wanted to be a bullfighter, and in 2001 he won the Toro de la Vega tournament after spearing the bull to death.

But the event has attracted growing numbers of animal rights activists, who are determined to have it banned. In recent years there have been standoffs and fisticuffs with locals during the event, as well as an enduring campaign in the media and social media between supporters and detractors.

In response, this village of 9,000 has closed ranks, with many local people feeling that they are being unfairly attacked, explains Jesús López Garañeda, who has written a book about a tradition that dates back to the time of Christopher Columbus.

I am saddened that this decision wasn't taken by the town hall before the regional government did

Mercedes San José, local councilor

"Tordesillas has been attacked. The anti-bullfighting lobby comes here each year and insults us. Now they have banned a fiesta that has deep roots here. It's as though they had pulled down a monument," he adds.

Ovejero believes the tradition would have died out a decade ago if not for the media coverage: "There are fewer and fewer people prepared to put themselves in front of the animal, and those values and principles are no longer being handed down to new generations."

"I am saddened that this decision wasn't taken by the town hall before the regional government did," says Mercedes San José, the only member of the local council prepared to come out publicly against the event. She ran for office on behalf of a platform called Tordesilla Toma la Palabra (Tordesillas Speaks), set up by the Communist Party-led United Left at last year's municipal elections to call a referendum on whether to continue with the Toro de la Vega.

San José won more than 400 votes, giving her a seat in a body dominated by eight Socialist Party representatives and four from the conservative Popular Party, who overcame their differences to organize a joint press conference last week to protest the regional government's decision. They also said they would work toward holding this year's Toro de la Vega.

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So what happens between now and September? "We're going to pursue this in the courts, so that this year at least, we can hold the event as we always have," says Francisco Hernández, president of a regional bullfighting federation.

Javier Campos, the councilor in charge of the annual fiesta, has called on local people to spoil their vote in the June 26 general elections in protest. The Toro de la Vega Trust, whose motto is Without roots, nothing, has posted a note on its website inciting supporters to take the law into their own hands: "Now is the time to break the law. The time has come to forget about peace and prepare for war. It is time to continue fulfilling our ancestral traditions in spite of everything. It is time to kill the Toro de la Vega."

English version by Nick Lyne.

More information

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"The time has come to break the law: it is time to kill the Toro de la Vega"

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Many residents of Tordesillas refuse to accept a bull protection measure they view as imposed from the outside

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As scores of young men march out of the medieval Castilian town of Tordesillas on 15 September, their iron-tipped lances glinting in the late summer sunshine before they do battle with a 640kg (100st) prize bull, you would be forgiven for thinking it was 1520 and not 2015.

Even for Spain, where the man-against-beast concept dominates the popular festival scene, the Toro de la Vega saga seems especially crude, not to mention dangerous or cruel, depending on your point of view.

Tens of thousands demonstrated in Madrid's Sol square on Saturday to demand that the event be prohibited.

The Toro de la Vega festival is unique in that after the bull is run through the town, chasing daredevil participants through the streets in a similar fashion to Pamplona's famous San Fermin event, the beast is not fought by professional matadors in a ring.

Instead, all comers battle for the honour of killing the animal out in the open plain, some on horseback, others on foot. The winner of the tournament trophy is the one who lands the mortal wound on the bull, bringing it to its knees before an accredited expert deals a coup de grace to the animal's neck.

Supporters of the nearly 500-year-old tradition say it is the purest of battles between man and bull, pointing to strict rules against wounding the animal from the side or attacking in numbers rather than one by one.

But in recent years the annual festival at Tordesillas has become a focus of anti-bullfighting protests by animal rights campaigners, and tensions ran high last September with claims of assaults on both sides - on top of the four participants badly wounded by the bull.

Last year's winner, Alvaro Martin, said he had received threats on social networks in the days after the festival, and a major security operation will be in force this week to keep hundreds of activists and some 30,000 bullfight supporters apart.

While not supporting violent forms of protest against the event, Pacma, Spain's biggest animal rights organisation, wants the Toro de la Vega tradition to be stopped.

"It's an icon of the mistreatment of animals in this country. The image it conveys belongs to the Middle Ages and it in no way reflects today's society in Spain," says Silvia Barquero, Pacma's president.

Ms Barquero's organisation has presented a 120,000-strong petition to Pedro Sanchez, leader of the opposition socialist PSOE party, asking him to prevent any socialist mayor from authorising such an event.

Toro de la Vega tournament

Said to have been held annually since 1534

Participants must follow strict rules: they must approach the bull one by one and only attempts to mortally wound the animal, rather than weaken it, are allowed.

No throwing of lances or other objects is permitted

If the bull succeeds in crossing the municipal boundary, the tournament is declared void.

The bull must weigh at least 500kg and be between four and seven years old.

'Intimidation' campaign

After last year's spearing was done outside Tordesillas, Pedro Sanchez pledged on live television to end the Toro de la Vega, theatrically phoning a chat show host who had said he would stop voting PSOE if socialist officials such as the mayor of Tordesillas continued to permit such butchery.

A sign of how politically explosive an issue bullfighting has become arose two days later when Mr Sanchez declared that he would "never take from anyone the enjoyment of watching [star bullfighter] Jose Tomas perform".

A year on and Tordesillas's mayor, Jose Antonio Gonzalez Poncela, says he has not heard from his party leader Sanchez, neither to tell him to stop the event nor to offer support in the face of what he considers an intimidation campaign by protesters.

"Tordesillas is a microcosm of Spanish society and there are people who disagree, but locals are united against the threats and attempts to intimidate us," the mayor said at a talk in Madrid, adding that he was not a bullfighting fan and had never ventured on to the plain during the festival.

This year a host of well-known Spanish musicians and actors signed up to an alternative and bloodless event called Rock in Tordesillas, on the condition that the bull be spared.

But Mr Gonzalez Poncela confirmed that the orders had been signed and that "Rompesuelos" (Groundbreaker) would become the latest beast to be fought in a tradition that even dictator Gen Francisco Franco disliked.

In 1964 Franco sent the Civil Guard to Tordesillas in an attempt to halt that year's event, but the bull reached the plain and the two lancers deemed victors that day were reportedly locked up and beaten.

Even this year's champion breeder professes scant enthusiasm for the event.

"There are things I like more and things I like less," said Luis Guillermo Lopez Olea on learning that his bull Rompesuelos had been bought for €6,000 by the Tordesillas council.

"Everyone has a right to their opinion but my duty is to sell bulls."

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Spanish battle over Toro de la Vega bullfighting tradition

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James Badcock reports on the fierce debate surrounding Spain's Toro de la Vega bull festival - a time-honoured tradition to some, a brutal spectacle to others.

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The last Wednesday in August marks Spain's messiest festival. Held in Buñol, 40km west of Valencia, La Tomatina is a tomato-throwing spectacle that draws more than 20,000 revellers each year. If you're planning on becoming part of the human passata, this article has all the information you need to squeeze the most out of this chaotic celebration.

Editor's note: the 2021 edition of La Tomatina is cancelled due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The festival is set to return in August 2022.

What happens during La Tomatina?

The mayhem takes place in Buñol's main square and Calle del Cid. At around 9am a large greased pole with a ham attached to the end of it is hoisted into the air, and there's a mad scramble as people struggle against each other to pull it down. At precisely 11am, regardless of whether someone has successfully grabbed the ham (which is rare), a cannon is fired and over 120 tonnes of ripe, squishy tomatoes are tipped from trucks to the waiting crowd. For the next hour, everyone joins in a frenzied, cheerful, anarchic tomato battle until a second cannon fire signals the end of play. Then it's a mad dash for the closest local wielding a garden hose.

The history of La Tomatina

The crazy food-fighting festival of La Tomatina began in 1945, but it's not known why. Locals have numerous theories, including the popular tale of disgruntled townsfolk attacking city councilmen during a town celebration. However, it could also be attributed to anything from an anti-Franco protest or simply a fun food fight between friends. Whichever way it started, the townsfolk of Buñol enjoyed it so much that it was repeated year after year, finally becoming an officially recognised celebration in 1952. Despite being canned briefly during the 1970s for having no religious significance, it has returned full-throttle every year.

The festival is now held in honour of the town's patron saint, St Louis Bertrand, and the Mare de Déu dels Desemparats (Mother of God of the Defenceless).

How to get involved

There are several ways to join the mayhem. Most people just come for the day, arriving on the morning train from Valencia and heading back in the afternoon. But if you want the full La Tomatina experience, stay in Buñol for the week-long celebration, which involves music, dancing, parades and fireworks. The night before the fight, a paella cooking competition is held where women traditionally dress in white, and men forego shirts altogether.

Often more convenient - and surprisingly affordable - is joining a tour. Dozens of companies offer everything from transport and entrance tickets to week-long extravaganzas. Among the best is Busabout, which offers a three-day day package including accommodation, return coach transfers, entrance ticket, merchandise, additional activities including an after-party, and, comfortingly - safety in numbers.

How much does it cost to take part?

Participation costs €10; if you want to pour the tomatoes off the truck you'll have to fork out €750.

Top tips for La Tomatina festival

If you're making your own way the festival, try to purchase your ticket in advance from the festival's website - they tend to sell out online weeks prior to the event, but you can often grab last-minute tickets from touts in Valencia if you want to chance it.

Accommodation in Buñol generally books out in advance, as well as hostels in Valencia. You might find a last-minute bed somewhere in town, but it's best to get your accommodation sorted as soon as possible to avoid stress.

If you're catching the train from Valencia, try to get to the station for 6.30am. If you get the 7am train, you'll be in Buñol for 7.45am and at the scene of the fight just after 8am. The crowds at this point are only just starting to gather, so you can get a good vantage point for the ham-on-the-pole. If you arrive any later, you'll struggle to get close to the action. And you do not want to miss the ham-on-the-pole! Right!?

Plan your outfit - wear old clothes and shoes and consider bringing a pair of goggles to protect your eyes. A change of clothes is a good idea - you won't be allowed on most buses back to Valencia if you're covered in pulp.

What you don't bring to La Tomatina is also important. The crazed tomato-throwers take no prisoners; cameras are seen as positive invitations to pelt the owner.

Ensure tomatoes are squashed before you throw them to avoid injuring someone. But be warned that others wont always be so kind.

For more info, check out the La Tomatina website.

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This article was first published in June 2015, and last updated in August 2021.

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A guide to Spain's La Tomatina festival - Lonely Planet

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The last Wednesday in August marks Spain's messiest festival. Held in Buñol, 40km west of Valencia, La Tomatina is a tomato-throwing spectacle that draws more than 20,000 revellers each year. If you're planning on becoming part of the human passata, this article has all the information you need to squeeze the most out of this chaotic celebration.

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Escultura de la Inmaculada Concepción, del escultor Juan Martínez Montañés, en el Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla, en 2019. PACO PUENTES (EL PAIS)

Como sucede con la Inmaculada Concepción -que se celebra el 8 de diciembre-, en España hay en total 14 días festivos no laborables. De esos días que establece la ley, ocho tienen origen católico. Aunque seamos un país aconfesional en el que, además, cuatro de cada 10 ciudadanos se declaran ateos, agnósticos o indiferentes ante la religión, para organizar los días no laborables, pesan mucho la tradición y unos acuerdos con la Santa Sede, que datan de 1978. Nos los cuentan Julio Núñez, periodista de investigación especializado en la Iglesia católica, y Emilio Sánchez Hidalgo, periodista de Economía, experto en laboral.

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Julio Núñez, Emilio Sánchez Hidalgo, Elsa Cabria

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'Podcast' | Los festivos católicos dominan el calendario: ¿por qué el 8 de diciembre es fiesta?

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En España, de los 14 festivos no laborables que establece la ley, ocho tienen origen católico

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