Hundreds Flock to Spanish Toad
Monday, September 7, 1998; 7:10 p.m. EDT
ALCALA DE LA SELVA, Spain (AP) -- Forget Viagra; hundreds of
people here are turning to a fertility toad -- with no unpleasant side effects.
With torches lighting their way in the dark of night, residents climbed a
hillside Sunday night to pay homage to the ''toad'': a 17-foot-by-17-foot
rock formation that looks like a toad and overlooks Alcala de la Selva, a
mountain hamlet of 500 in eastern Spain's Teruel province.
According to legend, touching the creature three times --no need to kiss it
-- under a full moon will make great things happen.
The toad is supposed to be all-powerful, helping people with everything
from putting zing back into their love lives to winning the lottery or passing
a civil service exam.
Mayor Benito Ros, estimating that about 1,000 people turned out to
worship the toad, admitted that he, too, touched it, but not for luck in the
bedroom.
''I have four children,'' said Ros, 47. ''I don't need any more fertility.''
c Copyright 1998 The Associated Press |
