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Costa del Sol |
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San Anton celebrations
• 24 Jan 2008 •
 BETWEEN January 17 and 20, many people in towns all over Spain held special events for the day of San Anton Abad, the Patron Saint of Animals, where pets and their owners received the blessing of local priests. Here, on the Costa del Sol, and inland, one of the more spectacular events was the procession held in Estepona which was organised by ADANA shelter with the support of Rotary International and Estepona Town Hall.
It was a great success and many people attended both the procession and the benediction.
The first part of the event was the blessing of the ADANA animal refuge in the Parque Los Pedregales and its animals on the Day of St Anton, January 17. In glorious sunshine, around 20 volunteers came up to the shelter to take the dogs for a short walk before the blessing. Two priests, Padre Don Pedro of the Iglesia San Jose in Estepona, together with Father Maurice Horsey from Costa del Sol West parish, toured the kennels and blessed the animals and the workers who care for them.
The Euro Weekly News attended this beautiful event, and we were amazed to see how the dogs became still and quiet while the blessing took place. On Saturday January 19, proud owners of many different pets assembled at the tourist office in Avdenida San Lorenzo in Estepona. The variety of dogs which turned up was amazing, together with cats, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, pigeons, and tortoises. They were joined by eight dogs from the ADANA refuge, brought down by volunteers to lead the procession.
At 11:30 the crowd of around 300 participants moved off behind the dogs, led by The New Orleans Jump Band.
Onlookers and shoppers were surprised and delighted to find the band weaving its way in and out of shops. A couple of stops along the way gave the growing audience a chance to enjoy the music and meet some of the animals in the parade.
The homilies and blessings were given first by Padre Francisco Baquero assisted by Padre Javier and then by Father Maurice Horsey in front of the Iglesia del Los Remedios. There was a group blessing for all the animals and then they were taken to the priests for an individual blessing.
All those who attended enjoyed the day and said they would urge their friends to participate next year. It was a family event with all ages joining in the celebrations, and the weather was superb. ADANA wants to thank all those who attended and made this a memorable occasion. |  Return to Top
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