A life of luxury for Spain's sacred pigs: and then the chop
India has its sacred cows, but in La Alberca, a Spanish village renowned for its juicy hams, an ancient Christian tradition has decreed that the chosen animal is a pig.
"Hello pig," the villagers call as they walk by the chosen animal wandering freely across a cobbled courtyard of the medieval village. One man stops to scratch the side of the hefty looking creature.
La Alberca, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the western town of Salamanca near the border with Portugal, is like many other local villages.
On June 13, a carefully selected pig is released into its streets, treated with special care -- and then on January 17 slaughtered as part of a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages.
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"Hello pig," the villagers call as they walk by the chosen animal wandering freely across a cobbled courtyard of the medieval village. One man stops to scratch the side of the hefty looking creature.
La Alberca, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the western town of Salamanca near the border with Portugal, is like many other local villages.
On June 13, a carefully selected pig is released into its streets, treated with special care -- and then on January 17 slaughtered as part of a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages.