- Title: Quack! Spaniards worship rubber ducks in unusual church
- Date: 24th November 2024
- Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (NOVEMBER 24, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF COMEDIAN LEO BASSI STARTING ‘MASS’ CARRYING TOILET BRUSH AND RUBBER DUCKY AT ‘PATICANO’ CHURCH VARIOUS OF BASSI SPREADING WATER WITH TOILET BRUSH TO ATTENDANTS BASSI RINGING BELL AND WELCOMING PUBLIC BASSI DURING MASS AND SIGN IN THE BACKGROUND READING “PATOLICA (DUCKY) CHURCH DUCK ON GLASS AND MASS IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COMEDIAN LEO BASSI SAYING: “(I was thinking) if I had a god, how could it be? Then I started to think, the god can't be all-powerful, clowns don't like all-powerful things, it had to be a small thing, a thing without transcendence, a childish thing, a thing for children. And then came the idea of a (rubber) duckling.” BASSI SHOWING RUBBER DUCK DURING MASS VARIOUS OF PUBLIC PASSING AND PUTTING A WREATH WITH RUBBER DUCKIES TO THE BRIDE AND GROOM / PUBLIC CHANTING QUACK, QUACK, QUACK BASSI PASSING RUBBER DUCK RINGS TO BRIDE AND GROOM, GROOM PUTTING RING TO BRIDE BRIDE AND GROOM KISSING AND PEOPLE APPLAUDING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) COMEDIAN LEO BASSI SAYING: “I wanted to honour the rubber duckies, so I thought about doing it in some small chapel and start doing masses. At the beginning I didn't know in which direction it was going to go and maybe this thing lasted a month, but 12 years later it is growing, growing and growing with such a deep message about valuing the little things.” BASSI DURING MASS BASSI READING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF RUBBER DUCK CHURCH BASSI AND PUBLIC CHANTING QUACK, QUACK, QUACK BASSI DURING MASS BRIDE WITH WREATH WITH RUBBER DUCKIES ON HEAD SIGN FOR PATOLICA (DUCKIE) CHURCH RUBBER DUCKS RUBBER DUCK ON WREATH / BASSI TALKING WITH PEOPLE AFTER MASS EXTERIOR OF RUBBER DUCK CHURCH (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ATTENDANT JULIA CORTINEZ, TEACHER, 28, SAYING: "Well, we've seen it on Instagram because it went viral, on TikTok too, and the rest of the social media and we think it's a great idea, the bad thing is that it has a very short timetable and you have to fight to come and now there's going to be a wedding, so we're going to see if we can get in.” (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ATTENDANTS SUSANA PASTOR, 36, AND CARMEN RAMON, 36, SAYING: “It was been amazing, we recommend it to everybody, you can’t miss this whenever you come to Madrid.” PEOPLE ENTERING RUBBER DUCK CHURCH (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BRIDE AND GROOM OF RUBBER DUCK CHURCH ESTEFANIA AND JOSE LUIS SAYING: “It is absolutely recommended.” “Really fun, irreverent. We are summoned!” PEOPLE ENTERING RUBBER DUCK CHURCH EXTERIOR OF RUBBER DUCK CHURCH
- Embargoed: 8th December 2024 13:53
- Keywords: Spain comedy culture duck church rubber ducky church ruber ducky
- Location: MADRID, SPAIN
- City: MADRID, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Europe,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001214824112024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Curious Madrid residents attend an unusual mass at the rubber duck church on Sunday (November 24), where even a bride and groom exchanged rubber duck rings to celebrate their love.
The "Paticano" -a mix of Vatican and ducks in Spanish- is a special church in the Lavapies neighbourhood where comedian Leo Bassi organises masses every weekend.
Bassi started this initiative in 2012 to venerate "the small things", and thanks to social media his idea became so popular that dozens of attendants were left with no space despite celebrating three masses on Sunday.
During the one-hour event, Bassi mixed humour with current affairs while 'quacking' several times to entertain his audience.
"It was been amazing", attendant Susana Pastor told Reuters after watching the mass in the tiny rubber duck church. "We recommend it to everybody."
(Production: Elena Rodriguez) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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