FESTIVALS OF MEXICO, The Blessing of the Animals, Guest Post by Ann Stalcup

My friend and fellow author Ann Stalcup has been fascinated by Mexican customs and culture for many years. She has taken numerous photographs in the Mexican communities of Los Angeles, California, where cultural events are celebrated frequently throughout the year. She has also visited areas of Mexico where she has observed many of the traditional festivals including The Blessing of the Animals, The Day of the Dead, and A Mexican Christmas. Here are a few of her photos and comments on the Blessing of the Animals.

THE BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS is celebrated each year on Saturday, the day before Easter. In Los Angeles, California, people gather with their pets at the historic center of the city on Olvera Street for this festival. Their pets can be as large as a horse or as small as a mouse, and each one is decorated with ribbons, hats, or flowers. Every type of pet is welcome. Many participants dress in colorful Mexican costumes. Everyone waits patiently in line as the robed priest sprinkles each pet with holy water and blesses it, thus ensuring a happy, healthy year ahead.
The Blessing of the Animals is a ceremony that has been a tradition for many years in some of the cities, towns, and villages of Mexico. Children bring their birds, crickets, frogs, lizards and other pets to be blessed.  There are rabbits and turtles, rats, guinea pigs, and monkeys.  There are parrots, canaries, and fish. Sometimes there is even a pet tarantula in the parade!

Mariachi Band

Before the parade begins a mariachi band of men dressed in elegant gray trousers and jackets perform their lively music.  Trumpets in harmony with violins get everyone in the mood for the fiesta.
At last the priest appears in his long robes.  He is usually one of the bishops of Los Angeles. People line up to have their animals blessed.  They celebrate on the plaza afterward.

Blessing of the Animals, Mural by Leo Politi

Near the plaza on Olvera Street is a beautiful mural of The Blessing of the Animals.  It was painted by Leo Politi, a Los Angeles artist.  He loved to paint children and wrote and illustrated many books for children about the special events that occurred in the city he loved.

Leo Politi at work on the mural

Ann Stalcup is the author of Leo Politi: Artist of the Angels (Silver Moon Press, 2004). For more information about Ann and her published work, visit her at her website: www.annstalcup.com