Eid al-Adha Buffalo Sacrifice

Eid ul-Adha Buffalo Sacrifice
Originally uploaded by lamoney.

I wouldn't recommend checking out my latest photo postings. I have put up my photos from the Eid ul-Adha festival. You will see this buffalo die. The Eid ul-Adha festival celebrates Ibrahim's (Abraham's) sacrifice; God asks Abraham to kill his first-born son, Abraham takes him to a certain spot where the sacrifice is to occur, the Devil tries to convince him to disobey but Abraham won't be swayed, is about to kill him, God says ok, you proved your faith, kill a sheep instead. That's how I remember the story anyhow. More information on it can be found here.

Many Indian Muslims celebrate this event by sacrificing an animal, normally a goat or a buffalo, since killing a cow is illegal in most of India.

I was invited to go and see a family sacrifice an animal by Harun, a friend of Paula's (my housemate). Harun's family was going to kill a buffalo.

When we arrived, very early in the morning, the buffalo was outside the family home. They took it down to the nature strip and tied it to a tree. There were a lot of goats and buffalos about, and obviously a lot of animals were going to die that day. I think most families that can afford to kill an animal try to do so.

A hole was dug next to the tree, while a few men tried to tie the buffalo's legs to make it easier to pull it to the ground. The buffalo, which was quite young and small, 2 years old apparently, got more and more frightened by the activity around it and was quite agitated. Eventually it was forced to the ground and pulled into position with its neck near the hole.

There was quite a crowd watching, mostly men from the family and their friends. A lot of young boys, the youngest maybe 2 or 3.

The butcher stood over the animal but the killing would be done by a member of the family. The butcher was for afterwards.

So. Harun's father slit the buffalo's throat. Blood filled the hole which had been dug. The look in the buffalo's eyes was sickening as it gave a few weak movements and its tongue lolled out. There was a bit of sound from it but not a lot. It took a while to die, maybe twenty seconds.

It was butchered where it lay, in the dirt. They started to skin it immediately as it bled to death. Most of the meat is distributed to others while some of it is kept by the family and eaten. There is a four day holiday during which the family feasts on the meat.

Towards the end there was just a skin on the ground, a head, and a hole full of blood.

I have seen a lot to shock me in India, mostly to do with the conditions of people...street kids, the homeless, lepers, beggars,etc. Strangely this was the worst thing I had seen. My stomach just dropped when the buffalo's throat was cut. One of my housemates couldn't watch and started crying.

At first I thought the whole thing was barbaric, but then I thought about the slaughterhouses where thousands of cows and other animals are put on conveyor belts and sliced up by machines, and thought really, this was not nearly as horrific.

If you are going to eat meat, I suppose it is better to know where it comes from and understand the decision you are making. And you understand that a life has been taken when you watch something like this.

A few of us are supposed to go to Harun's house for dinner tonight. I don't think I'll be able to eat the meat.

I've put up the photos, I felt I should, but they are pretty awful and anyone who is vegetarian or does not wish to see this buffalo sliced up really should not look.