Viral Video: Thousands in Spain Gather at Church to get Their Pets Blessed; Know why

Pets Blessed in Spain: A video showing hundreds of pet owners in Spain gathering at a church to get their pets blessed by priests has gone viral on social media. January 17 is celebrated in Spain every year and it draws a large number of believers coming together to honour the patron saint of animals and get their pets blessed.

MADRID: A video showing hundreds of pet owners in Spain gathering at a church to get their pets blessed by priests has gone viral on social media. The gathering took place on January 17 to celebrate the Day of St Anthony, who is considered to be the patron saint of animals. January 17 is celebrated in Spain every year and it draws a large number of believers coming together to honour the patron saint of animals and get their pets blessed. 

On this day, people come with their cats, dogs, hamsters, and every other kind of domestic pet and get them blessed by priests. Going by the tradition, this year too, several pet owners flocked to a church with their furry friends. 

Adorable videos of the animals being blessed by priests in Madrid to mark St. Anthony's Day have since become viral on the internet. In one such video, some priests can be seen blessing pets including dogs, cats, turtles, and even ferrets with their holy water. 

A pet owner, whose greyhound is named Rita, says that they have come from the neighborhood and, every year, they bring their dog to St Anthony to seek his blessings."I don't think it is of much help, but it is an old Madrid tradition and we like to keep it alive,” the pet lover says in the video.

Some of those who attended the event said that they prayed to St Anthony for their pets’ good health. Another woman can be seen saying, “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.”

The video of pets receiving blessings from priests in Spain has evoked a good response from Twitter users and has been widely shared. January 17 - 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.