Dogs, cats, parrots and other pets, some dressed in their finest
winter coats, entered churches across Spain on Thursday to be
blessed on the feast day of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of
animals.
Animal lovers lined up outside the main entrance to the Church of
San Anton in central Madrid with their pets on leashes or wrapped
in blankets in their arms as they waited for a priest to sprinkle
the animals with holy water.
Many dressed their dogs in their finest for the occasion, decking
them in coats to guard against the cold or tying bows in their
fur.
Jose Martinez, 74, dressed his blonde cocker spaniel Poki in a
scarf in the yellow and red colours of the Spanish flag and a grey
sweater.
"We brought him here to be blessed to see if he becomes less
naughty," he said, standing in the queue while his pet barked at
other dogs waiting nearby.
Dogs were the most numerous species but rabbits, hamsters, canaries
and other birds were also blessed.
Lucia Perez tried in vain to get her grey and white parrot Ursi,
wrapped in a green blanket, to say hello as she waited for her
turn.
"I come almost every year. We are very pleased with her and want
her to have a long life," the 57-year-old said before kissing the
bird's beak.
Nearby the line of faithful waiting to present their pets to be
blessed, another queue formed outside a separate church door to buy
buns.
They are traditionally kept alongside a coin in a cupboard to be
eaten on the feast of Saint Anthony the following year to ensure
good health and to gain the blessing of the saint.
The buns are baked according to a secret recipe meant to keep them
soft for longer.
Pets and their owners, police dogs and guide dogs for the blind
could be seen marching through the streets around the church in the
afternoon.
The church celebrated several masses throughout the day in honour
of Saint Anthony, with dogs sitting in the pews or on the church
floor alongside their owners.
"We come every year because it is traditional and it is beautiful,"
said Mario Perez Blanco, 57, who brought his seven-year-old
labrador retriever Gaspar to be blessed.
The festival has been celebrated in Madrid largely uninterrupted
since the 19th century. It is also held in other parts of Spain
such as the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean and the northern
city of Burgos.
Animals are said to have been instinctively drawn to Saint Anthony
throughout his life. Anthony, who was born in Lisbon, Portugal in
1195, is often depicted addressing a menagerie of animals
attentively listening to his words.
