A man races through the flames during the annual Luminarias festival in SpainReuters
A man races through the flames during the annual Luminarias festival in SpainReutersRiders queue up to take part in the Luminarias festivalReutersAnimal rights campaigners have called for the festival to be stopped, claiming it traumatises the horsesReutersHooves of a horse as it runs through the flames during the festival, a celebration of the patron saint of animalsReutersFlames cover a man's face as he races through the fire at the Luminarias festival in San Bartoleme de los PinaresReutersA rider passes through the flames unscathedReutersA man scrambles to escape from the flames after falling while riding through a bonfireReutersA horse is reluctant to ride into the flamesReutersA rider drinks wine during the religious festival in San Bartoleme de los Pinares outside MadridReuters
Spectacular images show men in a Spanish village riding their horses through fire in a celebration of the patron saint of animals.
The annual Luminarias festival, which is believed to go back 500 years, takes place in San Bartoleme de los Pinares, 60 miles northwest of Madrid.
According to tradition the horses are purified by passing through the fire to protect them for the coming year.
Dozens of riders take part in the event each year, jumping through the flames until midnight, when the bonfires are used as barbecues for the crowds.
