Friday is a big holiday across the Muslim world when sacrifices are offered. Around here the sacrifices are normally cows, sheep, and goats but other places can include (as best as I understand) camels and horses, too. This lucky guy is slated for an afternoon departure.
I wasn't early enough to get any pictures of the cattle prior to their preparation. Here is kind of a step-by-step of how it goes. The cow's feet are tied and they are laid on their side with the neck over a small hole. Then a bunch of guys climb on (I saw this lady on Discovery who makes me think that might be helpful for the cow in the last moments).
In a way that I am not really confident I can explain, a cow is "good" for seven people and sheep/goats for one person. As the animal is all prepared, the name or names of the person who provided the animal are read aloud. Then a prayer is offered and with one stroke of a very large knife the animal is bled out.
Its very important to the people that the process be as painless as possible for the animal. I believe the banana leaf is to protect against and not for anything having to do with the neck being sliced open and gushing blood.
Then then animal's skin is removed along with its internal organs. The internal organ part takes a while and is pretty gross so I didn't take any pictures of the lungs, heart, liver, or intestines ... sorry.
Parts are reduced to a more manageable size.
Then they are reduced even more. If seven people combine funds to purchase a cow, each person receives one-seventh of the meat. The organs and meat (and eyes!) are divided into 7 portions. The person who provided the animal may keep some of the meat but most, if not all, is divided into 1 kilogram packets and distributed to the poor in the community.
Here the meat is getting smaller still. Notice the cow's head in the background.
Finally the meat packed into sacks and ready for distribution.
If you'd like to plan to see it next year you need to get your tickets early and celebrate the sacrifice and Craig's birthday on 17 Nov 2010! See you then!!
2 comments:
Once again, I was totally enGROSSed in this scenario!
Wow that makes me glad I can just go to the grocery store to get my meat. It also makes me glad that there has already been a perfect sacrifice that is accounted for me.
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