Abrivado in Vallabrix (2011)

On the last Sunday of August, what I think is the best, most elaborate abrivado of the year took place in Vallabrix, 7 kilometers north of Uzès. A team of 6 Camargue cowboys in splendid Spanish costumes, with nice smiles on their faces and easy nice words for the crowd. A real pleasure !

An (original) abrivado used to be when cowboys (from Camargue and surrounding areas like some parts of the Gard provencal) got organized to transfer their herd of bulls from one place to another, usually from pasture to pasture - or to bull festivals during the holidays season. Because they wanted to avoid the annoyance of teenagers trying to lure some bulls away (for fun...), they were crossing villages at full galop. To do that efficiently, they had to form a V structure to guide the bulls keep the teenagers away.

Nowdays they move the bulls in trucks... But the abrivados are still a traditional part of summer village festivals in the region. However not all are as well organized and as enjoyable as that last one in Vallabrix - courtesy of Olivier Boutaud from the Doma Vaquera bull farm.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Provence
• Camargue
• Uzès
• Vallabrix
• bull race
• abrivado
• Gard red carpet red bull

[mandon2]

belles images et beau regard sur cette tradition ,mais un petit commentaire ,il ne s'agit pas de Camargue mais de chevaux de race Espagnole ainsi que les toros ,qui sont de vrais toros espagnols pour les corridas . merci encore pour ces magnifiques images ..