The residents of Sabucedo still believe to this day that the origin of the festivity lies in a severe plague that devastated the region. During the epidemic, two sisters offered St. Lawrence, the patron saint of the parish, two “bestas” (mares) that they owned in return for him keeping them from falling ill. While the epidemic lasted, the sisters took refuge in a cabin not far from the village. After the plague had subsided, they kept their promise and handed the mares over to the parish priest. In time, those mares multiplied in the nearby forestlands.
There exist no references in parish books about the possible origin of the Rapa das Bestas, although certain place names seem to be related to the cabin where the sisters took refuge. “A Cabana” (“O Coto da Cabana”) lies just one kilometre from Sabucedo. These are the remains of the walls of a late-medieval or modern period house excavated in 2013. Other place names exist in the vicinity of “A Cabana”, such as “Carballeira das Vellas” (the Old Ladies’ Oak Grove), “Lebagueiras vellas”, “Fonte das Vellas” (Old Ladies’ Fountain)…
In any case, such verbal tradition may stem from any of the plagues in the second half of the 16th century. An entry in Volume E of the 5 Tumbos de Santiago (historical archives of privileges granted in the diocese between the 9th and 17th centuries) states: “Year one thousand, five hundred and sixty-seven, in the month of October, a pestilence commenced in Grobe port and lasted more than one year and a half; and from there it appeared in Caldas de Reyes, in Codeseda, in Noya…”. At that time, Sabucedo belonged to the district of Codeseda and so it would have been affected by what was the bubonic plague (“Black Death”) of 1567.
The relationship between the people who inhabit these lands and the wild horses roaming the nearby hillsides has existed since pre-history. Petroglyphs (rock-etchings) dating from the 18th to 8th centuries B.C. found in the forestlands where the horses of Sabucedo run wild include etchings depicting horses, many with horsemen attempting to dominate the animal.
One could say that while Rome has two mythological father figures: brothers Romulus and Remus, Sabucedo’s Rapa das Bestas has two legendary mother figures, whose place in history is preserved, apart from through traditional story-telling, thanks to an archaeological finding which revealed the remains of what was their home – the “Casa das Vellas”, a site well worth a visit by all staunch lovers of our traditions.
Chan da Lagoa
Deer, sets of rings, pseudo-labyrinths, and horse-riding scenes at Chan da Lagoa, in Parada.
Outeiro dos Cogoludos
Horse riders on one of the two petroglyphs at Outeiro dos Cogoludos, in Paredes.
Sabucedo is a parish located in the southern district of A Estrada (Pontevedra) municipality with a surface area of 5.9 square kilometres. It only has one small village currently inhabited by no more than 60 people. Nevertheless, Sabucedo is home to one of the greatest displays of authenticity, identity and group determination amongst all those that form our cultural legacy, namely the ‘Rapa das Bestas de Sabucedo’.
The Rapa begins by recalling the ancestral bond between the horse and the divine. At early morning mass, worshippers beseech the protection of Saint Laurence for the animals and people who are about to take part in the fiesta.
Then they hike up the hill in search of wild horses. Both locals and visitors help each other in groups to round up the herds. Finally, on the Saturday, they drive the horses into a large arena in the village. The most spectacular part of the fiesta is the Curro, when the aloitadores (wrestlers) employ all their strength and technique to immobilise the horses and cut their manes.
A campsite is set up for the event, together with a surprisingly varied array of evening entertainment.