Vegetarians look away now

A couple of posts ago I wrote about the Christmas pig slaughter in the village. Quite apart from providing masses of delicious pork products, the matanza is an important social event, drawing dozens of people together to work, eat and party as the pig meets his doom and the sausages take shape. Here, courtesy of the town hall website, is a series of 93 pictures of a matanza held on the 1st and 2nd January this year. Along with fairly gruesome shots of pigs' innards spilling out of carcasses and old women up to their elbows in blood while they make black pudding, there are lots of images conveying the infectious, convivial atmosphere. In this one below, I think we see the vet (who is legally required to attend the slaughter) doing an analysis with his microscope. Surrounded by kids, and plied with wine. I love rural Spain!