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El Paso del Fuego

San Pedro Manrique, Tierras Altas, Soria

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 1 Nature · 1 Activities · 3 Curiosities · 2 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

Spain › Castile and León › Soria › Tierras Altas › San Pedro Manrique › El Paso del Fuego

El Paso del Fuego

Activity · San Pedro Manrique, Tierras Altas, Soria

On the night of San Juan, 23 June, the townspeople cross barefoot a carpet of oak embers without being burned, often carrying someone on their shoulders, before hundreds of spectators packed into the enclosure. The rite, of possible Celtiberian origin, is part of the Fiestas de San Juan y las Móndidas, in honour of San Juan Bautista and the Virgin of la Peña, before whose hermitage the bonfire is built up until only embers remain. After midnight, preceded by three trumpet calls, the people of San Pedro begin the dance over the embers; tradition holds that the first three to cross must carry on their shoulders the three móndidas of the festival. El Paso del Fuego was declared Fiesta de Interés Turístico Nacional (a festival of national tourist interest) in 1980 and, together with las Móndidas, Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) in 2005.

Photo: FRANRUMAR (CC BY-SA 3.0)

What to see and do in San Pedro Manrique