• It has become one of the Galician festivals with a double distinction: a Festival of International Tourist Interest since 2007 and, now, a Site of Cultural Interest.

Last week, the Xunta de Galicia (Galician Regional Government) approved the declaration of the Rapa das Bestas de Sabucedo as a Site of Cultural Interest (BIC) in the intangible heritage category. This recognition represents a further step in the protection of one of Galicia’s most iconic and ancient celebrations, whose origins date back at least to the 18th century. The declaration grants this cultural event the highest level of protection.

The Rapa das Bestas, celebrated every year in the Pontevedra parish of Sabucedo, in the municipality of A Estrada, thus becomes one of the few Galician festivals with a double distinction: a Festival of International Tourist Interest since 2007 and, now, a Site of Cultural Interest. The festival took place this year from July 4th to 7th, marking its first edition under this new protected status.

The decision reinforces the need to preserve a tradition that symbolizes the relationship between humans and wild horses, expressed through rituals such as the Misa alborada (Dawn Mass), the Descent of the Horses from the Mountain, and the Rapa das Bestas (Beasts’ Ravine).

The decree also includes measures to ensure the safeguarding of the associated heritage, such as the creation of documentary records, the promotion of its dissemination, and its incorporation into educational processes. In addition to its cultural value, the Rapa das Bestas has become a top-level tourist and media attraction, attracting thousands of visitors each year to this small village of fewer than 100 inhabitants.

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