Azpeitia is gearing up for the San Ignacio festivities, scheduled for July 30th and 31st, and August 1st. Among the main events, bullfights always hold a significant place. This year, the lineup of corridas for aficionados has been announced, but there's also news regarding the cancellation of the 'desencajonamiento', the event that traditionally introduces the bulls to be fought in the arena.
The reason behind this cancellation is contagious nodular dermatosis, a disease that has been affecting bovine livestock in recent months. This situation is necessitating preventive measures to curb its spread, impacting livestock fairs and bullfighting events, as is the case in Azpeitia.
This decision was communicated by the Azpeitia Taurine Commission, responsible for organizing the bullfighting events, via their social media channels. "The Azpeitia Taurine Commission has decided not to hold the traditional 'desencajonamiento', which usually opens the San Ignacio program, due to force majeure reasons stemming from the contagious nodular dermatosis affecting bovine livestock," they stated in their notice.
The statement clarifies that this is a one-off decision, intended only for this year, pending the resolution of the health situation. "This is a specific and unique decision for this year due to the health status of the bovine livestock. We hope to reinstate our traditional 'desencajonamiento' in the coming years," the announcement added.
With this news, aficionados will have to wait until the actual corrida dates to see the bulls. The first opportunity will be on July 30th, featuring bullfighters Daniel Luque, Borja Jiménez, and Marco Pérez, facing bulls from the Doña María Loreto Charro ranch. On July 31st, San Ignacio's day, the lineup includes matadors Emilio de Justo, Borja Jiménez, and Víctor Hernández, confronting bulls from the Portuguese ranch Murteira Grave. The bullfighting program concludes on August 1st with a corrida by Morenito de Aranda, Jesús Enrique Colombo, and Ismael Martín, with bulls from the Ana Romero ranch.
