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.

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 in the coming year.

“In the old days, it was held because it was believed that the branches and the smoke blessed the horses and donkeys, which were used for farming, as a form of healing to prevent them from getting sick and to ensure they continued working in the fields,” said attendee Antonio Patricio, 62.

Festivities started around nightfall Friday as giant stacks of tree branches are placed on the side of the street, while locals mull about sharing wine, beer and sweets. Hours later, the stacks are lit and become the menacing fires that the animals must jump through — or around.

Animal rights groups have long criticized Las Luminarias, but locals say the horses are rarely, if ever, injured.

The next morning, on St. Anthony’s Day, pet owners in some churches across Spain take their furry companions to to be spritzed with holy water. That ritual blessing is also believed to bring the animals health and protection for the year.

Pet owners waited patiently Saturday outside the entrance of St. Anthony’s church in central Madrid, where Catholic priests blessed the passing animals. Many of the dogs were wrapped in winter vests, while the cats looked a little more bewildered.

“I’m happy to be able to do it,” Madrid resident Rosa Gómez said, holding up her pointy-eared dog Kia. ”She is a little dog that was given to us six years ago by a family that couldn’t take care of her, so we adopted her, and since then she has kept us great company.”

Hours before the start of Las Luminarias, riders wrap their horses’ tails in fire-resistant tape and braid their manes. Some apply a glaze on the animals’ mane to prevent them from burning as they leap through the flames. Others beautify them, tightly braiding their manes, tying pink and red ribbons to their tails wrapped in tape, and adorning them with decorative headpieces.

Livestock and farming were common livelihoods in San Bartolomé and scores of other central Spanish villages and towns that now stand empty for much of the year. Locals say Las Luminarias started after a mysterious illness swept through the village’s animals centuries ago, after which people started to believe that smoke could purify and heal the horses.

Going to Las Luminarias means returning home in the early hours the next day with clothes and hair that reek of smoke. In Spain’s emptying countryside, locals welcome that the tradition brings family, friends and onlookers to the village for one night each year.

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Suman Naishadham reported from Madrid.