Horses leap through flames and pets go to church in Spanish animal rituals honoring St Anthony

SAN BARTOLOME DE PINARES, Spain (AP) — Hundreds of Spaniards watched horses gallop through towering flames, hours before pet owners in Madrid on Saturday took their dogs and cats to church to be blessed with holy water.

The contrasting Spanish traditions take place every January to honor St. Anthony the Abbott, the patron saint of domestic animals. And despite criticism from animal rights groups, the horse-and-fire spectacle draws loyal crowds ever year.

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Las Luminarias is a centuries-old tradition that takes place in the Spanish village of San Bartolomé de Pinares — population 500 — about 100 kilometers (60 miles) outside Madrid. Riders guide horses through bonfires in the middle of the street in an act believed to purify the animals