San Antón Abad in Tébar Águilas

The pedanía of Tébar in Águilas holds fiestas in honour of San Antón Abad

The pedanía of Tébar in the Águilas municipality is one of many areas of the Region of Murcia which have a church or fiestas dedicated to San Antón, the protector of animals, whose feast day is held on the 17th January.

The core event of any district which has San Antón as its patron saint is a service to bless the animals which usually takes place following Mass. This is a popular family activity in which participants bring along their pets, and in some areas, horses, donkeys, goats and chickens are present, along with the more conventional goldfish, canaries and puppies.

San Antón was often referred to as the first Monk, as he shut himself away in the desert to pray and meditate, at one point being walled up inside his cell for 6 months, so that he could reflect in peace and isolation. A quantity of bread was made to sustain him during this time, a dry, flat bread, the consumption of which is commemorated by the tradition of making little rollos, or panecitos de San Antón.You'll find various interpretations of these little rolls, some formed into little biscuits, others rolled into circles and threaded onto ribbons in bundles, each part of Murcia having its own version of this tradition.

San Antón Abad in Tébar Águilas

Money raised from their sale normally goes towards church funds, and you´ll find these little rolls on offer not only at church services and blessings of animals this weekend in return for a donation, but also on sale in baker’s shops.

Keep them for the year and they´ll bring luck and prosperity!

There are always a number of other activities around the core blessing of the animals, including musical or theatrical events, games for the children and in this case a Bailes de Pujas and Cantos de Pascuas. These traditional dances are enlivened by traditional folk music from the Cuadrilla de la Cuesta de Gos, a musical group using a combination of string instruments, percussion and voice, a Baile de Pujas being one in which participants can invite anyone they so choose to dance, a fine being payable should the selected partner decline. The dance concludes with a traditional rendering of the ‘Mandas de Pascuas’.

Tébar also has another unique tradition, in that following the blessing of the animals, the image of the saint is paraded through the streets of the village, the right to carry the image of the saint and the standard being auctioned off to the highest bidder.

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