The Fire Bull of Medinaceli
Spain still practices cruel archaic bull rituals.
November 15, 2025: On this Saturday evening, a bull is to be “set ablaze” once again in the Spanish town of Medinaceli. The “Toro Embolado” is considered a cultural tradition in many regions, critics view it as an horrendous animal cruelty.
Toro Júbilo (Bull Jubilation) is the name of the spectacle that is to take place again this late Saturday evening in the town of Medinaceli in Spain. The nearly 700 residents call the annual bull ritual in November a “fiesta,” while animal rights activists have been calling for a ban for years. Nevertheless, other towns and regions also uphold the tradition, which is usually called Toro Embolado (“Fire Bull”).
Although the rules vary slightly depending on the location, the spectacle always follows a similar pattern, writes the animal welfare organization Anima Naturalis Spain on its website: At night or at dusk, the bull, panting with fear, is led through a dark, narrow passageway into the arena. A dozen men pull him by a rope attached to his neck or horns and drag him to a wooden post in the middle of the square. There, a thick rope is wrapped around the bull’s horns and pulled until the animal’s head can be fixed to the post. Now he can no longer move.
Next comes the team of “emboladores” (enflamers). They screw or clamp two metal rods like double pincers to the base of the horns. At their ends are two balls of wool or hemp, which the men soak in flammable liquid or resin. Meanwhile, the bull roars and scrapes against the post, trying to free itself, its eyes wide open, foam dripping from its mouth. Then, at a signal, the hemp balls are lit with torches. Instantly, the bull sees flames on its own horns. The rope is loosened again and the animal is free – but now with two blazing flames on its head.
The bull runs around the arena in panic, ramming side walls and gates to throw off the balls of flame. Meanwhile, “brave” young men provoke him as if in a bullfight, in front of a crowd standing around the arena cheering them on. In the videos taken by animal rights activists, you can see clearly: the bull is breathing heavily, its nostrils are flaring, its eyes and mouth are wide open, and it is gasping for air. Although the animal has been rubbed with mud beforehand to keep the fire away, the chemical residues from the fuel and the heat burn its eyes and snout; it roars in pain and despair. Now crackling fireworks are thrown onto the square, exploding around the bull and completely confusing him. After many futile attempts to shake off the torches, his strength finally gives out. He remains panting, the torches still burning on his horns. If he is “lucky”, the fuel will be used up and the flames will go out, and only embers remain. The audience applauds.
Medinaceli, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, just under two hours’ drive northeast of Madrid, is therefore not an isolated case. However, a unique version of the “bull of fire” takes place here. And here, the flames are particularly large. In addition, according to official guidelines, the bull must be slaughtered within 48 hours of the event, says Maite van Gerwen. She is the director of the International Committee Against Bullfighting, based in the Netherlands, or CAS International for short. CAS works closely with Anima Naturalis, and both organizations film the Fire Bull in Medinaceli every year. In 2022, the bull collapsed from exhaustion after 48 minutes. “We witnessed the suffering of the bull in the Plaza Mayor of Medinaceli, from the moment he comes out of the alley, already with a bloody mouth, until he collapses on the sand due to exhaustion. At the end he had to be dragged with ropes,” CAS writes on Facebook.
According to anthropological research, these bull rituals have their roots in ancient peasant ceremonies, writes Anima Naturalis Spain on its website. The bull with fire is reminiscent of prehistoric sun and fertility rites, in which bundles of embers were carried to celebrate the harvest. Historians cite reports such as that of Hannibal, who used bulls with burning torches on their horns in the Battle of Helike (3rd century BC). Today, the bull ritual is mainly practiced in the Spanish Levante: almost the entire province of Castellón (Valencia) includes it in the celebrations for its patron saints, as do cities in Alicante, Aragón (e.g., Cariñena in Zaragoza), and southern Catalonia (Tierras del Ebro, Tarragona).
According to estimates by animal rights activists, around 2,500 bulls are turned into living torches every year in the name of Spanish tradition. In addition, there are countless other types of cruel bull rituals. According to Anima Naturalis Spain, 18,000 such “fiestas” are said to take place throughout the country – with financial support from town halls, local councils, and regional governments. The organization says it has researched, and meticulously lists on a joint website with CAS how much money the municipalities invested in archaic bull rituals in 2019. They come to a staggering total of more than 42 million euros. On top of that, the breeders of the bulls and also cows in some “fiestas” are receiving EU agricultural subsidies originating from the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP for short. “… and every EU citizen contributes to it!”, writes CAS International in a Facebook post. This includes citizens outside Spain. The organisation estimates that 200 million euros per year go to breeders of bulls used for bullfighting or for rituals such as the Fire Bull. The animal rights activists want to put pressure on politicians with a petition.
The spectacle in Medinaceli took place for the last time in 2023. It was canceled in 2024 because Spain’s animal welfare party, PACMA, had filed a lawsuit for violation of regulations. A judge ruled in its favor. However, the Supreme Court of Castile and León overturned the ruling, paving the way for the Toro Júbilo on November 15. PACMA has filed another appeal and is hoping for a positive last-minute decision.
If it does not come, the spectacle will take place. At 11 p.m. Spanish time, the bull will be dragged into the arena, the torches will be lit, and the animal will be chased until the animal is exhausted.
PS: At 6 p.m. Spanish time, animal rights activists will protest on Medinaceli’s market square, the Plaza de Mayor. As they have done every year - for many years.
This text was first published on my German website and translated by me.
This kind of cruelty to a helpless animal is unbelievable and outrageous!