Catalonia Farmers Hold Special Mass Procession for Rain
Farmers in Catalonia, North eastern Spain, have reignited old tradition, as they hold special Mass for rain.
Amidst ongoing drought, farmers in Catalonia, North eastern Spain, held a special Mass for rain on Sunday.
The mass is a re-enactment of an practice in the region to pray to "Our Lady of the Torrents, a local virgin associated with rainfall.
The Associated Press, AP, reports that about 250 residents were involved in the procession which went on under mostly sunny skies.
They moved round the village with the colorfully painted statue of the Lady of the Torrents lifted from its place of prominence in the stone church. The statue is nestled onto a wooden litter filled with green branches, hoisted aloft and carried around, followed by the bishop and parishioners.
“It’s not a magic act, it is an act of trust,” Bishop Francesc Conesa told AP.
The development is coming on the heels of a three-year long stretch of very low rainfall and high temperatures which officially puts Spain, particularly Catalonia, on a long-term drought. Spain's weather agency regards 2022 as the country's sixth driest year and hottest since 1961.
Catalonia, where Agrotourism and farming the main sources of income, is considered one of the worst drought-affected region in Spain.
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