It is quite common for people to line up in church to receive a blessing, however, in Mexico City, it was the animals that received the traditional blessing. Various types of animals - dogs, cats, ducks, even guinea pigs, were brought to the church last Jan. 17 to be blessed.
Early on, churchgoers trudged their way to the San Bernardino Church, bringing their pets, which included domesticated animals, fowls, and even cattle to be blessed with holy water, according to Reuters. This has been traditionally practiced by the Catholic Church in observance of the Feast Day of St. Anthony Abbot, which falls on Jan. 17.
This tradition is known as the Blessing of Animals where pets of different kinds are splashed with holy water. Church patrons do not only bring their pets, they also bring work animals such as horses. Some bring chicks and even swine in order to have them blessed by the priest.
This Blessing of Animals is akin to another tradition of the Catholic Church known as Blessing of Pets, which is celebrated every Oct. 4, the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi. This is also a closely observed tradition of the church all over the world, as stated in an article published by the American Catholic.
During this day, it is quite common to see a procession of animals on the streets. They are steered by their owners towards the steps of the church where the blessing is often done at the beginning of the mass. There are also those that administer the blessing before the end of the mass.
This tradition of blessing of animals has been a very old tradition of the Catholic Church. It is practiced almost in all Catholic churches. Mexico, Spain, Brazil and the Philippines, are among the countries that closely observe this tradition.
