Tres Tombs

It's another sunny day in Barcelona and we've decided to see what is happening for the festival of Tres Tombs. I don't know whay to expect, but quickly put right that Tres Tombs doesn't mean "three tombs", but "three circuits". We listen to Pulp at home while getting ready and then go out sneezing and sniffing in the wintery air.

There is a crowd as usual with such celebrations, but something slightly different. The crowd consists also of animals as well as people, dogs, cats in cages, a man with a blind parrot who has appeared on television. Tres Tombs is the celebration of Sant Antoni, the patron saint of animals and today is the day to have them blessed.

We hear a band approaching and soon twelve cavelrymen appear dressed in red, wearing plumed hats and playing drums and brass from their horses while their leader waves his arms in the air in an attempt to conduct. The cavelrymen are followed by a horse drawing a representation of Sant Antoni himself and a parade of riders from local riding schools, wagons and carriages. Children on the parade throw sweets to the spectators and at the very back of the procession is a BCNeta street cleaner, clearing up after the horses.

The cavelrymen, who turn out to be the local Guardia Urbana and apparently are of some international reputate, parade up and down Passeig de Sant Antoni a couple of times before making their way through some of the narrow streets of Sants.

We make our way to Jardins de Can Mantega, a small square where the procession will makes its tres tombs before the church. We arrive before it wait while the Master of Ceremonies seems to be getting into some kind of flap in asking the crowd to do this, or to do that. The priest tries to get to the small platform from which he will make the blessing, but the crowd is in the way and he can't get through. The MC's blood pressure starts to rise again a path is found for him and just as it is beginning to lower a van attempts to drive through the crowd.

The procession, including the street sweeper, arrives and makes its three circuits before stopping to be blessed. That being done they make their way home while the crowd and its animals are blessed.

We go home to our two cats.