It's hours before dawn in Acehuche, a small town in Spain's western Extremadura region, and a group of youngsters is ending a parade by setting off fireworks and beating drums.
A man dressed as a wild animal or "Carantona" holds a wild olive branch during the "Las Carantonas" festival in Acehuche, southeast Spain, Jan. 20, 2022.
The noise awakes residents for some of the biggest dates in the local calendar: The three-day celebration of the fur-covered characters known as “Carantoñas" that resemble wild beasts.
Men dressed as wild animals or "Carantonas" walk towards the church during the "Las Carantonas" festival in Acehuche, southeast Spain, Jan. 20, 2022.
With roots in pagan traditions of fertility that were incorporated into religious symbolism, the ancient festival currently marks Acehuche's patron, St. Sebastian, whom the Catholic tradition considers a martyr of the early anti-Christian Romans.
The carving of Saint Sebastian is greeted with salutes of honor while carried by worshippers during the "Las Carantonas" festival in Acehuche, southeast Spain, Jan. 21, 2022.
It was held under strict mask-wearing rules due to record numbers of infections across Spain fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant.
Men dressed as wild animals or "Carantonas" wait to bow in front the carving of Saint Sebastian during a Catholic procession as part of "Las Carantonas" festival in Acehuche, southeast Spain, Jan. 20, 2022.
Following the tradition, women dress up as “Regaoras” in colorful embroidered skirts and shawls, decorating intricate hairstyles with flowers, while a few dozen men gather in a garage to cover themselves in animal skins and fur to transform into “Carantoñas."
Jaime Garrido plays the flute and the drum during the "Las Carantonas" festival in Acehuche, southeast Spain, Jan. 20, 2022.
The handmade costumes can weigh more than 20 kilograms (44 pounds) and only male revelers above 16 are allowed to wear them.
Women dressed in traditional attire known as "regaoras" and men dressed as wild animals or "Carantonas" gather during a procession as part of the "Las Carantonas" festival in Acehuche, southeast Spain, Jan. 20, 2022.
On the second day of the celebration, as the image of St. Sebastian is carried in a procession over rosemary-covered pavements, the “Carantoñas” bow to the patron saint and the “Regaoras” cover the sculpture in confetti as traditional songs are sung and drums are played.
A man gets dressed as "vaca tora", center, drives away wild animals or "Carantonas" during the "Las Carantonas" festival in Acehuche, southeast Spain, Jan. 21, 2022.
“All the songs we play we have been recovered by oral tradition,” said Jaime Garrido, one of the musicians. “Some are common songs in the region and others are specific to this festival.”
A man dressed as a wild animal or "Carantona" offers sweets as part of the "Las Carantonas" festival in Acehuche, southeast Spain, Jan. 20, 2022.
The procession takes the saint's figure to face a chosen member of the local brotherhood who thanks St. Sebastian for keeping the town safe and healthy one more year.
An image depicting Saint Sebastian hangs from a balcony during the "Las Carantonas" Catholic festival in Acehuche, southeast Spain, Jan. 20, 2022.
With the sculpture back inside the church, a new character emerges in the crowd outside: the “Vaca-Tora," a monstrous figure with enormous horns and an oversized loud cowbell that ushers away both beasts and revelers.
A woman dressed in traditional attire known as "regaora" poses for a portrait during the "Las Carantonas" festival in Acehuche, southeast Spain, Jan. 21, 2022.
