Goat bathing on the island of Tenerife

Goatherds from all over Spain's island of Tenerife's and its Orotava Valley once again drove their herds Monday morning to the beach and dunked them into the sea for the annual St. John's festival.

Villagers and tourists came to the the harbor of Puerto de la Cruz to watch the celebration as people tried to drag their reluctant goats into the water, a ritual called "Bano de las Cabras," or the bathing of the goats.

It's a centuries old tradition – restored in 1984 – that natives once thought would help the animals mate. And perhaps it does.