Nicaraguans Celebrate
Mass For Dogs, Pray For
Cures
MASAYA, Nicaragua
(Reuters) - Hundreds of
dogs, many dressed as
babies or clowns, were
taken to celebrate mass
in this Nicaraguan town
on Sunday, an annual
ritual where the owners
pray for their pets to
be cured or avoid
falling ill.
A long queue of
Catholics, carrying
their pets or leading
them on leashes, waited
their turn to pass by an
image of a saint in a
tiny church in this town
20 miles to the south of
the Nicaragua capital,
Managua.
The faithful thank the
saint for curing their
pets or ask for the dogs
to be protected from
illness. The town's
priest always conducts a
special canine mass.
"We brought him so he
does not get sick," said
local resident Nora
Espinosa, talking about
her six-month-old Basset
Hound, dressed in a
soccer outfit.
Locals say the tradition
goes back to the
colonial period after
the Spanish conquest.
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