As tradition marks in the rural world, yesterday all the roads in Tenerife led to the hermitage of San Antonio Abad, in La Matanza de Acentejo, where thousands of ranchers came to thank him for the miracles granted and ask the saint to protect their animals, a big day for the neighborhood and for the entire municipality.
According to tradition, the sculpture of San Antonio Abad that is venerated in La Matanza was the first image of a saint to arrive in Tenerife after the end of the Conquest, so in all probability the celebration of his festival and the custom of exposing cattle to his blessing, it must have germinated very early in the northern town.
According to documentary evidence, the primitive temple was already built in June 1539, as well as its board of trustees and chaplaincy, with 50 bushels of land, a piece of vineyard and local trees. The original hermitage gave way to the current temple from 1882, being located in the vicinity of the Acentejo ravine.
The Eighth Ganadera yesterday brought together more than 5,000 people and nearly 300 head of cattle, 140 cattle, 100 horses, including horses, mules and ponies, and a dozen herds of goats and sheep. A lower number than in other years given that at the same time other important events were held on the island in which animals also participated, such as the cattle fair and the pilgrimage of Buenavista del Norte, and the one in the neighborhood of La Florida, in the municipality of La Orotava.
However, and perhaps due to the stoppage during the two years of the pandemic, public attendance was higher. Adults and children attended the Plaza de San Antonio, an image that gave an account of the expected generational change in a sector that is increasingly finding it more difficult to achieve this objective.
The pilgrims were arriving from the early hours of the morning, to the enclosure installed next to the sanctuary. After the end of the Eucharist, the farmers took their cattle to receive the blessing. At the same time, the City Council with its mayor, Ignacio Rodríguez, at the head, awarded the prizes to the most outstanding animals in their respective categories, trophies that are donated by the different companies of the municipality. In addition, subsidies were also granted to farmers to help with transportation and other expenses derived from their activity.
This year the City Council enabled a free internal transport service, with several collection points to facilitate travel to the temple, which has been considered a Sanctuary since 2020.
Security
The Civil Guard, the Canary Islands Police and the Local Police guaranteed security at all times so that the day could run smoothly.
San Antonio Abad is the annual reunion with tradition, an unavoidable appointment with the oldest livestock fair on the Island that was attended by members of the Municipal Corporation; the mayor of La Victoria de Acentejo, Juan Antonio García Abreu; the island councilors for the Environment and Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Isabel García and Javier Parrilla, respectively, and the island director for Agriculture, Cayetano Silva. In addition to the parish priest of La Matanza, those from the neighboring municipality of La Victoria, Ravelo (El Sauzal) and Tacoronte also attended, giving the ecclesiastical celebration a regional character.
