Viral video: Thousands gather in Spain to get their pets blessed on Day of St Anthony

Following their annual tradition of celebrating the Day of St Anthony, the Abbot, the people of Spain gathered in large numbers at churches with their beloved pets to seek blessings from the priests. Notably, the day which is observed every year on 17 January draws people from across the country who come together to honour the patron saint of animals and further get their pets blessed. Speaking of which, people come with their cats, dogs, hamsters, and every other kind of domestic pet imaginable. This year as well, several pet parents flocked to churches with their furry friends. Videos of the same have surfaced on the internet and are going viral.

In a video shared on Twitter, we can see the celebrations from Madrid where people approach a church with their pets which include dogs, cats, turtles, and even ferrets. A priest can be also seen blessing the animals with their holy water.

Watch:

VIDEO: Pets receive special blessings in Spain.

Dogs, cats, turtles, and even ferrets are being blessed in Madrid by a priest on the day of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of animals pic.twitter.com/znVkDAA6cq

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) January 18, 2023

A few people also shared their views while attending the celebrations. Some also claimed that they prayed to St Anthony for their pets’ good health and their wishes were granted. A woman said, “I came here because I am very excited, especially, about meeting Father Angel. We came here this year because Max had a serious problem, it was a promise we made to Saint Anthony and I’m so happy and pleased that he came to get anointed by him.”
Reacting to the video, several social media users shared their views and opinions. A user wrote, “In Brazil we celebrate him on June 13th…”, while another one wrote, “Religions is awesome till it is fun.” The video has so far racked up over 10,000 views and the number keeps increasing.

About the Feast Day of St. Anthony

Marked every year on 17 January, the Feast Day of St. Anthony is one of the important religious holidays in Spain. It is believed that St. Anthony was an animal lover and his goodwill is focused on every kind of domesticated animal including pets and livestock.

Notably, the day holds more relevance as a new law in Spain makes pet animals legal members of families, and thus are considered ‘living, sentient beings.’

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