Following a month of Christmas celebrations, Colombia’s Caribbean departments have entered months of local festivals, some accompanied by controversial “Corralejas” or participatory bull fights.
This month’s corralejas |
The Corralejas are nothing like the bull fights imported from Spain where a trained bull fighter enters the ring to take on a bull. Instead, the northern bull fights are all about audience participation and are generally combined with the excessive consumption of liquor.
Because of their lack of organization and the involvement of alcohol, the bull fights annually cause dozens of injuries and cost the lives of several participants.
The most famous of corralejas is that of the city of Sincelejo, where the activity has formed part of the annual festival since 1845.
According to radio station RCN, the first corraleja-related fatality has already been registered in the town of Turmaco, so if attending one of these festivals, make sure to be very cautious.
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