It’s hours before sunrise in Acehuche, a small town in Spain’s western region of Extremadura, and a group of youth ends a parade by setting off fireworks and beating drums.

The noise wakes residents for some of the biggest dates on the local calendar: the three-day celebration of fur-covered characters known as carantoñas, who resemble wild animals.

With roots in pagan traditions of fertility that were incorporated into religious symbolism, the ancient festival currently marks Acehuche’s patron saint, Saint Sebastian, whom Catholic tradition regards as a martyr of the early anti-Christian Romans.

After the 2021 edition was canceled due to a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, the festival took place at the end of January this year. It was held under strict mask-wearing rules due to record numbers of infections across Spain caused by the highly contagious Omicron variant.

Following tradition, women dress up as regaoras in colorfully embroidered skirts and shawls and adorn intricate hairstyles with flowers, while a few dozen men gather in a garage to dress in animal skins and furs to transform themselves into carantoñas.

The handcrafted costumes can weigh over 20 kilograms and may only be worn by male revelers over the age of 16.

On the second day of the celebration, when the image of Saint Sebastian is carried in procession down rosemary-covered sidewalks, the carantoñas bow to the patron saint and the regaoras cover the sculpture in confetti while traditional songs are sung and drums played.

“All the songs we play have been recovered through oral tradition,” said Jaime Garrido, one of the musicians.

“Some are common songs in the region and others are specific to this festival.”

The procession brings the figure of the saint to a chosen member of the local brotherhood, who thanks Saint Sebastian for keeping the city safe and sound for another year.

After the sculpture is back inside the church, a new character emerges from the crowd outside: the Vaca-Tora, a monstrous figure with huge horns and an oversized, loud cowbell that scares away both beasts and revelers.

AP