San Antonio Abad (el del porquet)
In addition to the internationally known Fallas, Valencia has a many festivities of provincial tourist interest and one of them is the one that will take place in Sagunto Street, in Valencia, from this weekend until the 17th of January.
This festivity is very popular among animal lovers and has been held since ancient times, and, thanks to the Brotherhood of St. Anthony is still celebrated.
At the beginning of the 19th century, scholar Orellana commented that the tradition of taking the animals to be blessed to the church in Sagunto Street, known as Parroquia de San Antonio Abad, “se pierde en el tiempo” although it is true that it dates back to 1333. A tradition that is still carried out every 17th of January in many countries where Christianity is more deeply rooted.
Saint Anthony Abbot (San Antonio Abad in Spanish) was born in Egypt around 251 AD and was a hermit monk known as the protector of animals. It was in his connection with nature and animals that, according to tradition, he came to know divine love. This path to Christian wisdom was accompanied on numerous occasions by a pig, which he is known to have cured, and, as a token of gratitude, accompanied him for the rest of his life. For all these reasons, in Valencia he is known as Sant Antoni del porquet, which is “pig” in Valencian.
The day of the Saint Anthony’s celebration (Jan.17th) coincides with the day of his death. Nevertheless, several traditional acts take place in Valencia, between the 11th of January and the 17th, that is the day when animals are blessed.
It is really beautiful to see how pigeons are released and, to the rhythm of the typical Valencian instruments, such as the dolçaina and the tabalet, people take their animals to be blessed. It all begins with the blessing of the horses of the different security forces, followed by the canine units, the draught animals, and finally pets.
The blessing act is carried out according to an order based on to the size of the animals, starting with the largest and ending with the smallest. The order must be respected and people must wait until the end of the parade to give way to the pets.
During the weekend prior to the 17th, a large number of events are held at the intersection of Maximiliano Thous and Ministro Luis Mayans streets, such as: a market of typical products, Valencian music concerts, workshops for children, and the bonfire of Sant Antoni followed by fireworks on Saturday.
