Posted:
#1
200,000 Animals to Be Killed in Ritual
BARIYAPUR, Nepal (Nov. 24) -- The ceremony began with prayers in a temple by tens of thousands of Hindus before dawn Tuesday. Then it shifted to a nearby corral, where in the cold morning mist, scores of butchers wielding curved swords began slaughtering buffalo calves by hacking off their heads.
Over two days,
200,000 buffaloes, goats, chickens and pigeons will be killed as part
of a blood-soaked festival held every five years to honor Gadhimai, a
Hindu goddess of power.
While cows are
sacred and protected by law in Nepal, animal sacrifice has a long
history in this overwhelmingly Hindu country and parts of neighboring
India. The Bariyapur festival has become so big, in part, because such
ceremonies have been banned in many areas in the neighboring Indian
state of Bihar.
And while it is criticized by animal-rights protesters, the festival is defended as a centuries-old tradition.
Many Nepalis believe
that sacrifices in Gadhimai's honor will bring them prosperity. They
also believe that by eating the meat, which is taken back to their
villages and consumed during feasts, they will be protected from evil.
Taranath Gautam, the
top government official in the area, estimated that more than 200,000
people had come for the ceremony in Bariyapur, some 60 miles from
Katmandu. Some brought their own animals to sacrifice.
"I am here with my
mother who had promised the goddess she would sacrifice a goat. It was
her wish and promise and I am glad we were able to fulfill it," said
Pramod Das, a farmer from the nearby village of Sarlahi. "I believe now
my mother's wishes will come true."
Animal rights groups
don't have much power in Nepal, but they have staged repeated protests
in recent weeks. Local news reports say some activists set up stands in
towns on the way to the Bariyapur temple, offering Hindu pilgrims
coconuts and other fruits to sacrifice instead of animals.
There was no sign of them Tuesday.
"We were unable to
stop the animal sacrifices this year, but we will continue our campaign
to stop killings during this festival," said Pramada Shah of the group
Animals Nepal.
The ceremony, which
goes back for generations, has enormous resonance in a country where
per capital income is about $25 a month, illiteracy is widespread and
vast social divides have left millions working as tenant farmers for
feudal landlords.
Even many educated Nepalis see value in the tradition.
Om Prasad, a banker
from the nearby city of Birgunj, brought offerings of fruit and flowers
to the festival, but said he believed people should be able to
sacrifice animals if they want.
"It is their
tradition and it is fine if they continue to follow it. No one should
try to tell them they can't follow what their ancestors did," he said.
Experts say it will take many more years before there are changes in these deeply rooted traditions.
"They continue
these animal sacrifice rituals because they believe it is a tradition
that can't be broken," said Ram Bahadur Chetri, an anthropology
professor at Katmandu's Tribhuwan University. "The people who follow
these traditions believe that if they discontinue, then the gods will
get angry and there could be catastrophe in the country."
Buffaloes, goats,
chicken and ducks are sacrificed at most Hindu homes in Nepal during
the Dasain festivals, which fell in September this year.
0
), you're saying, "pass the knife"???????
Hot Forum Topics
