Travel: a feast day for animal blessings

Today is Feast Day of de San Antonio de Abad in Mexico, which explains why there were lots of animals with the christmas trees and nativity scenes. This feast day is a religious holiday during which the Catholic Church allows animals to enter the church for blessing. I wonder how many of the many many dogs are brought into the church for an annual blessing today.

A couple of small towns were setting up carnival kiddie rides in their central town plazas on Thursday. I'm guessing the Feast Day is a community event and marks the end of the holiday season in Mexico.

I loved walking around the ordinary life spaces in the small towns and getting a sense of place and local people. This is sort of travel I value most.