We have already told you about Kurban Bairam, a traditional holiday of the Muslims. This time we want to show you the way they celebrated it this year.
This is Kazakhstan.
Dealers bring sheep from all over the country.
On this day the markup may reach 100-200%!
Buyers choose a sheep they like and the animal gets marked with some paint or a ribbon.
This man says that usually he sells 5-7 sheep a day, but today he plans to sell up to 50. The price for each animal starts at 12 thousand tenges and the most valuable ones cost up to 25 thousand.
Thousands of sheep get sold out in minutes!
It is very crowded in mosques.
On this day people wake up early, put on their holiday clothes, try to be friendly, visit their relatives, and pray for the dead.
Sacrifice.
It is believed that the one who does it, brings his family happiness and money.
This man has been cutting sheep for two years and now it takes him less then 15 minutes.
The animal for the sacrifice should be healthy and have good teeth and intact ears and horns.
Only camels, cows, bulls, buffaloes, and sheep can be sacrificed.
Age of the animal is also very important. Thus, a sheep should be older than 6 months and a cow should be older than 2 years.
Before the slaughter, they say their prayers and then cut the animal’s carotid artery to make the blood run out. Their religion prohibits drinking it.
There is one more condition but it’s rarely observed: before the sacrifice the animal should not see other animals die.
They divide each carcass into three parts. One goes to the poor, the second one goes to orphans and the third one they leave for themselves.
It helps the poor very much.
About 4 thousand palmers from Kazakhstan headed to Mecca this year.
A local man is watching the sacrifice carried out in his yard.
This man has been cutting sheep for a long time and says that it is very important to cause to the animal as little pain as possible.
The three parts.
This man is going to give two parts of the meat to the poor.
They cannot sell the skin of the animals but they are allowed to use it as a rug for praying, for example.
In each family they make a holiday dinner…
… and treat their guests to dishes made of the sacrificed animal’ meat.
According to the tradition, the elder welcomes guests first. This man is 85.
They pray before eating.
Women cook but do not sit at the table.
It is necessary to taste the meat to bring your family welfare and prosperity.
Some more pictures of the day
Altay.
Welcoming guests.
The guests have to follow certain rules. For example, it is prohibited to neglect festive food or to blow over the hot broth or tea.
This sheep is going to be sacrificed.
The longer the death agony of the ram is and the longer it breezes, the more deserving the person who performed the ritual is. They say that death of one animal means salvation for many people.
The holiday celebration in the Novosibirsk region.
They believe that making their children see a sacrifice, they teach them not to be afraid of death.
Beshbarmak is the main dish at the holiday. It is meat and thin slices of dough which have been cooked in pots all day long.
This holiday unites and equals all the people who come to have a holiday dinner.
Beshbarmak is served with hot broth. In the end of the meal, they have hot tea.
Women sit at a separate table.
Women’re cooking.
People watch TV to find out how the holiday is celebrated in other cities.
Lamb taste good but killing them is bad experience.
When I kill a boar or deer I cut the thought the same way more or less if it has not already expired from the bullet wound I eat anything I hunt and I try to get a quick kill because it is bad for the animal if you miss also in the US you can get a fine for letting a wounded animal run away and suffer.Of course here the sheep is perfectly fine and then gets its neck cut that is kind o bad. Sucks for the sheep I guess but better than being the meal of a wolf.
Upsetting ! No good values can be built upon living creatures suffering. A long agony cannot be considered good
how do you meat then? this tradition is much as in the bible, its the sacrificial act of abraham. besides if your gonna eat meat then you have butcher some thing some times aleast to grow some hair on you balls.
I always thought that it was Muslim tradition to make the animal sacrifice quick without spilling any blood if possible.
According to Wikipedia it should be; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halal
I did not take into consideration that they fully removed the head after the fact.
Well, its unnecessary to act literally according Holy Quran and kill poor sheep I think. 21 century is on earth. I went to local butcher and bought some lamb meat. My wife cooked beshbarmak (5 fingers on Kazakh) and some “shelpek” (fried flour tortillas). Anyone could come to my house and dinner with my family.