Dogs, cats, parrots and other pets, some dressed in their finest winter coats, entered churches across Spain on Thursday to be blessed on the feast day of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of animals.
Animal lovers lined up outside the main entrance to the Church of San Anton in central Madrid with their pets on leashes or wrapped in blankets in their arms as they waited for a priest to sprinkle the animals with holy water.
Many dressed their dogs in their finest for the occasion, decking them in coats to guard against the cold or tying bows in their fur.
Jose Martinez, 74, decked out his blonde cocker spaniel called Poki in a scarf in the yellow and red colours of the Spanish flag and a grey sweater.
Lucia Perez tried in vain to get her grey and white parrot which was wrapped in a green blanket to say hello as she waited for her pet to be blessed.
Nearby the line of faithful waiting to present their pets to be blessed, another queue formed outside a separate church door to buy buns.
The buns are traditionally kept alongside a coin in a cupboard to be eaten on the feast of Saint Anthony the following year to ensure good health and to guarantee the blessing of the saint.
They are baked according to a secret recipe meant to keep them soft for longer.
Pets and their owners, police dogs and guide dogs for the blind march through the streets around the church in the afternoon.
The festival has been celebrated in Madrid largely uninterrupted since the 19th century. It is also held in other parts of Spain such as the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean and the northern city of Burgos.
Animals are said to have been instinctively drawn to Saint Anthony throughout his life. Anthony, who was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1195, is often depicted addressing a menagerie of animals attentively listening to his words.
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