Tuesday, January 17, 2006

El dia de San Anton: Or, Throw Some Holy Water on Your Pig...


Or any other farm animal, household pet, mascota, mammal, reptile, what-have-you... actually any animal that you love or love to eat will fit into this category. Category? For what?, you may be wondering. Ah yes, Spain's very own semi-national holiday: El dia de San Anton, the patron saint of domestic animals, every 17th of January. Right. (Who would have thunk it?)

Well, apparently the Spaniards did. No, no there's no joke here...tonight's version of the 6 o'clock news featured stories about Iraq, Zapatero, Spain's new anti-smoking laws, sky-rocketing numbers of newly arrived immigrants, the latest news in futbol, and, that's right, you guessed it: ample news coverage concerning thousands of Spaniards who flocked to nearby churches and some even forming processions in the street, family pets in hand, as local priests blessed them with holy water, granting each kitty-cat, lizard, or gallo the benediction that it so deserves. In the photo above/right you can see a priest reaching out to bless "chincheta the cat," as hundreds in the background wait to ensure that their beloved pets make it to heaven. Meow...

Once again, Catholicism reigns. In addition to mounted processions and bonfires used to inaugurate the traditional celebrations, certain towns such as Ciudad Real get really into the swing of things by preparing a special bread (also blessed) and parading around demon effigies as part of the ritual. Of what? Who knows!? Who cares!? It shouldn't make sense, that would be somewhat...let me see here...intelligent and inappropriate.

My sacrcasm, albeit somewhat lame (ok, mostly lame), has made me tired. (Yawn). Maybe tomorrow I'll look for Pet Cemetery en espanol...

For now, I leave you all with these photos which, I think, accurately display the wonders of idiocracy into which our species has so deliciously delved...













(In the words of our sweet Nicholas: "Very sexy! Very sexy indeed!" Forget about the Japanese love for mail order man-sized pillows, this year's rage is blessing your cock!...or putting a bow-tie on it...)

4 Comments:

Blogger Jon Snyder said...

oh what a brilliant punch to the end of an ironic blog entry. now where can one get one's cock blessed again? or at least groomed and bow-tied for a photo-op?

(thanks for taking care of my sick ass, BB, even though i may be spain's first case of avian flu! you're a doll.)

xoxo,
j

12:01 AM  
Blogger Patty said...

thanks jd! and no worries, for sure. i'm glad to see that you're up and about once again, blogging brillance del barrio...

see you soon, kid.

take care & besitos,
patty

2:08 AM  
Blogger Kevin said...

When I visited the Michigan State Fair, I saw many a Cock. The competition was quite unfair though, as the "Miniature Dutch Cock" was in the same category as the "Giant American Cock". However, neither looked as suave as the decked out Spanish cock in your photo - how can you lose when you are a Holy Cock?

Somehow, Cock jokes never get old.

4:54 AM  
Blogger Nicholas Theisen said...

Singapore is quite the eyebrow raiser.

6:29 AM  

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