Dressed in colourful costumes and with ribbons tied around their heads or necks, hundreds of dogs received the blessing of Saint Lazarus, the protector of animals and the sick in Nicaragua, along with their owners - Catholic devotees. With the celebrations, Nicaraguans remember the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, a poor man covered in sores who longed to eat scraps from the rich man's table, as dogs licked his wounds. However, when the two men died, it was Lazarus who went to heaven, while the rich man went to hell for clinging to material things during his life. Locals have been putting their faith in the healing powers of Saint Lazarus since the 19th century, when a deadly cholera epidemic struck Nicaragua. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES