Sant 'Antonio Abate, also known as St. Anthony the Great, St. Anthony of Egypt, Saint Anthony's Fire, St. Anthony of the Desert, Saint Anthony the Anchorite, was an Egyptian hermit, considered the founder of Christian monasticism and the first of the abbots.
St. Anthony is considered the protector of domestic animals, usually depicted as to be next to a pig that goes to the neck a little bell. On 17 January, the Church traditionally blesses the animals and placing them under the protection of the stables of the saint.
The tradition stems from the fact that the order of Antonians had obtained permission to raise pigs in residential areas because the fat of these animals was used to anoint the sick suffering from shingles. The pigs were fed at the expense of the community and circulated freely in the country with a bell around his neck.
Legend of the Veneto (where it is called San San Bovo or Bo, not to be confused with the namesake saint) on the night of January 17 animals acquire the ability to speak. During this event, the farmers kept away from the stables, because the animals talk to hear it was a sign of bad omen.
Perhaps not everyone knows that is just now starting the celebrations of Carnival end on the night of Shrove Tuesday, a prelude to Lent, a time for penance and prayer.
In our town it is customary to bring the animals in the procession of the saint that every year gather in the Piazza for the blessing.
0 comments:
Post a Comment