A religious procession in Barcelona celebrates rain during a severe drought in northeast Spain

By EMILIO MORENATTI
Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A religious procession in downtown Barcelona has celebrated the appearance of long-awaited rain after nine days of praying for relief from a severe drought. Around 100 local people took part in the Catholic ceremony on a rainy Saturday evening. They carried the figure of the Holy Christ of the Blood. The procession wound its way through the city’s old town for two hours. It was led by Archbishop Joan Josep Omella. Officials in Spain’s northeast region of Catalonia declared a drought emergency. Reservoirs serving 6 million people were at less than 16% of their capacity. That’s a historic low that sowed alarm among local people.