Barcelona, Sant Antoni Pet Blessing & Tres Tombs

Pet Blessing Barcelona. When the parade of Tres Tombs passes the church called “La Escola Pia de Sant Antoni,” the parade animals are blessed and anointed with holy water by a priest, who stands on a platform and blesses the “Tres Tombs” animals as they pass. When the parade has passed, it´s time for domestic pets to be blessed.

Hundreds of people crowd around the priest to have their dogs, birds, hamsters, cats and other small pets blessed and anointed. If you want to see this or have your hamster blessed, then the blessing of small pets takes place in front of the church. This wonderful animal blessing tradition derives from St. Anthony the Abbot (Sant Antoni Abat) who is the Patron Saint of animals, the poor, and the sick. St. Anthony the Abbot was a hermit who lived in Alexandria, Egypt in the fourth century, but who renounced his worldly goods and retired to the desert of northern Egypt. In the 1100s, the Order of Knights Hospitallers, an organization that cared for the sick across Europe, adopted him as its patron saint and ever since St Anthony has been saint to send prayers to prevent and cure disease in both people and animals.

The word “tombs” is Catalan. “Tres” means three, and the word “tombs” means “tours” or “walks” in Catalan, so “Tres Tombs” in Catalan translates as “three tours” in English. The names is derived from the tradition of the “Tres Tombs” parade going around the same route three times. The Tres Tombs parade in Barcelona does not actually take the same route three times, but the parade route is long and worth seeing because the “Cabalgata dels Tres Tombs” is like a moving museum of 35 floats and carriages, many of which are vintage animal-drawn carts from bygone days including fire-engines, hearses, beer wagons and many more. You will also see a few cowboys, pony riders and even oxen. It’s a festive procession!

On these Pictures you will see some of the Parade Animal Blessing and the Reception and glass of Cava with the Barcelona’s Major in the City Hall of Barcelona.

More information on: <http://www.barcelonayellow.com/bcn-events-calendar/details/182-festa-dels-tres-tombs-sant-antoni>