The animals, protagonists in the celebration of San Antonio Abad in the town of Castalla

• The local residents will walk through the streets of the capital of the Foia in a parade that will end with the blessing of the pets

Animals will be the protagonists during the festivity of San Antonio Abad in the town of Castalla. The celebration will take place on Sunday 15th January. The residents of the town will walk through the streets of the capital of the Foia with their pets in a parade that ends with the blessing of these, on the occasion of the saint of the patron saint of animals, San Antonio Abad.

In this sense, the mayor of Castalla, Antonio Bernabeu, has highlighted the importance of this festival for the town. “The parade of San Antonio Abad is a very special moment for animal lovers, who can walk through our streets accompanied by their pets”. The mayor also stressed that “in Castalla we can enjoy a very colourful parade, thanks to the wide variety of animals that participate, among which we can find rabbits, cats, birds or dogs, and in which the riders stand out with their horses”.

In accordance with the programme, the Town Hall has called the castelluts and castelludes together with their pets from 10:00 a.m. in the area of the schools for the pre-parade gathering. Likewise, riders and their horses should meet on the esplanade next to the Municipal Auditorium at the same time. The parade will start at 10:30 am from the monument to the Blood Donor, located on the Alicante road, and will proceed towards the city centre. The municipal parish priest, Salvador Valls, will be in charge of blessing all the animals taking part in the celebration in the area of the Plaza de la Font Vella, next to the Mercado de Abastos. According to the forecast, the parade will finish around 13:00 hours.

The Castalla Town Hall and the Parish Church of Madre de Dios de la Asunción have invited the whole town to get involved in the celebration of this festivity, which has a long tradition in the town. Thus, citizens can take to the streets accompanied by their pets and contemplate the great variety of animals that live in the homes of the city.