Sheep take over Madrid’s streets as they head for winter pastures

Sheep replaced cars on the streets of Madrid on Sunday, as shepherds following ancient herding routes led their flocks through the centre of the Spanish capital to southerly pastures for winter grazing.

Locals and tourists lined the route and watched as thousands of sheep walked through the city, the bells around their necks providing a noisy soundtrack.

A flock of sheep are herded past the Santa Cruz Palace during the annual sheep parade, during which shepherds exercise their right to use traditional migration routes for their livestock from northern Spain to winter grazing pasture land in the southern areas of the country, on the streets of Madrid, Spain, October 23, 2022. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

The annual event was revived in 1994 as part of Madrid’s annual Fiesta de la Trashumancia, after the Spanish parliament recognised the traditional routes shepherds used to herd their livestock. Smaller cities in Italy, France and California hold similar events.

Shepherds herded the animals through the paved streets of the Spanish capital while reenacting what their ancestors did for centuries: move flocks from cool highlands in the summer to lowland winter pastures.

Madrid, Spain’s lively capital city has always been part of the 125,000-kilometer (78,000-mile) grid of farming paths that cover the Iberian Peninsula.

As part of the Transhumance Festival, organizers make a symbolic payment for the right to use the drovers’ route that crosses the capital. The payment presented at Madrid’s city hall in medieval Spain’s currency consists of 50 maravedis, as stated in an agreement between the city and shepherds that dates back to 1418.

People watch a flock during the annual sheep parade, during which shepherds exercise their right to use traditional migration routes for their livestock from northern Spain to winter grazing pasture land in the southern areas of the country, on the streets of Madrid, Spain, October 23, 2022. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

In Spain, modern farming methods have reduced practicing transhumance – the seasonal movement of livestock – to a small group of farmers that keep the tradition alive through associations such as Concejo de la Mesta, who are responsible for the Transhumance Festival in Madrid.

They promote transhumance for advantages such as sustainability, cultural value and environmental protection since areas walked by sheep are less prone to wildfires.

According to the Transhumance and Nature Association, 52 families carry out the practice in Spain.

Just a few centuries ago, the route would have taken them through quiet countryside, but today it sees them traverse some of the busiest areas of the city, including the Plaza Mayor, Madrid’s main square.

Onlookers took pictures and videos on their phones, while some children held out tentative hands to stroke the sheep.

Many people were surprised by the unexpected sight in a city usually thronged with traffic.

“It was crazy that there were so many sheep, I’ve never seen anything like it. It was a great way to learn about Spanish history and Spanish culture,” English teacher Maria Kouriabalis, a 22-year-old American who has been living in Madrid for a month, told Reuters. (Reuters)