Early on the morning of the 23rd, a flock of thousands of sheep and goats marched through the Spanish capital of Madrid with the sound of sheep and bells ringing, giving locals an experience that is both old and new.

Because the new crown epidemic in 2020 was canceled the annual traditional Spanish "migration grazing festival" returned to the capital Madrid, the streets are once again filled with sheep and "jingle bells" sound.

According to the Associated Press 23, the sheep migration in the center of Madrid is the Spaniards in the re-enactment of their ancestor's centuries-old tradition: when the weather turns cooler, the sheep from the summer in the highlands pastures to the winter lowland pastures.

For modern Spaniards, this sheep migration has become part of the traditional culture. Since 1994, Madrid has held a "livestock migration festival" to create an ancient pastoral scene in the modern city.

For a nominal fee, organizers pay herders and livestock to travel through the center of the capital, allowing city residents and visitors to get up close and personal with the animals.

The annual event, which began in 1994, reportedly allows herders to defend their right to use traditional routes to drive sheep from northern Spain to winter graze in pastures further south.

Centuries ago, the herders and sheep used the route through quiet countryside, but the village has become a busy city today.

The sheep will wear bells and make loud noises along the street, and many people come to see the spectacle. 39-year-old Gonzalez said, "It's amazing. We come every year, and this is the first time we've brought our kids, so it's amazing."

Sheep wearing bells around their necks march down the street in a flurry of jingling sounds. Shepherds in traditional costumes accompanied the sheep to folk music and dance.

Children who are used to seeing traffic jams on city streets were surprised to see these animals up close and personal.

"We can even touch them sometimes," said Iglesias, eight, who came with her father and six-year-old sister, Noah, to watch the migration grazing event.

Geographically, Madrid was already an important part of Spain's agricultural road network, with shepherds signing "crossing" agreements with the city dating back as far as 1418.

Today, modern animal husbandry has made the traditional seasonal migration less and less common, and only a small percentage of Spanish herders still retain the tradition, which has evolved into a distinctive cultural festival, with similar events taking place in several other European cities.