Cantoria celebrates the Carretillas de San Anton with the street as the protagonist

Cantoria will be celebrating its most traditional and unique festival on 16th and 17th of December. This includes the wheelbarrow ride, in honor of San Anton and San Cayetano, the patron saints of the city. "Last year, we had to suspend the celebration due to pandemic. But conditions have improved and we now must rebuild our day to day. We also need to celebrate our traditions and encourage participation. However, we must respect the security precautions that are necessary, particularly due to this unique celebration. Puri Sanchez, mayor, said that Cantorians know well that this festival has its peculiarities. They must be very careful when launching wheelbarrows.

These holidays will be returning with some modifications to ensure the safety of neighbours and forklift drivers, as well as compliance with COVID-19. The mayor has reached an agreement with the San Anton and San Cayetano Cultural Associations to retransmit mass via loudspeakers. This will reduce the number of parishioners in the church and allow them to follow the action from outside. When the procession is finished, neighbors and cart drivers often enter the church to bless the saints or pray their prayers. This moment will be observed outside of the church to allow people to get near the saints, but not have direct access, in order to prevent infection. To avoid any contagious diseases, forklift drivers are asked to not meet at their homes, as per tradition. Puri Sanchez stated that this year, we will give more importance to the street.

The majority of the program will focus on the 16th and 17. However, Friday will see an increase in activity. A display of wheelbarrows as well as a projection of photographs from this festival were organized at the Plaza de la Constitucion starting at 8:00 p.m.

The festivities will begin with the firing of rockets in San Anton's honor at 9 AM on Sunday. A mass at Nuestra Senora Del Carmen church will then be followed by the procession of cart drivers, which will be accompanied later by the Maestro Lizarte Music Group and a rocket launch.

The wheelbarrow ride begins at 7:00 p.m. and will go from the youngest to the oldest, then to the young, then to the older people. This activity will continue until the early hours of the morning.

On Monday 17th, the church will hold the blessing of animals. It will begin at 4 p.m. and end with the distribution of San Anton rolls. The party will be ended with a chocolate drink and a fireworks display at 8 in the evening.

The itinerary for the wheelbarrow roll has been prepared by the City Council of Cantoria and San Anton and San Cayetano Cultural Association. This will ensure that everyone knows the route. It outlines the obligation to respect circulation areas. The security areas include where emergency and control personnel are located. These areas also contain areas that are considered risky because they are home to people with medical conditions or those who live near lots at risk of fire or on narrow streets. The Cre certificate accredits them with handling forklifts. They must also wear the proper clothing like helmets, glasses, fireproof clothing and helmets.