xlovecolouredx Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 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. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. 2009-11-24 12:18:54 .... i don't have any comment about this because many beliefs in asia. i just wonder what would peta do ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorbike Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 propagandhi are pissed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantommaggot Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Different culture, different beliefs. I'm for one glad the other 3 pics didn't load. Edit: Oh wait, there they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtz Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Different culture, different beliefs. I agree. I'm for one glad the other 3 pics didn't load. They loaded for me and they are more brutal than I expected after seeing the first pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xfedaykinx Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 but i thought when underground dog-fighting was an element of black culture it wasnt cool. oh well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xlovecolouredx Posted November 25, 2009 Author Share Posted November 25, 2009 Different culture, different beliefs. I agree. cool, you guys are a reliable western people. i really hate when western think some asian culture is raw and unreasonable. well, i didn't support peta and didn't eat beef. this is what it happend in our world which we should know and understand.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantommaggot Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 cool, you guys are a reliable western people.i really hate when western think some asian culture is raw and unreasonable. well, i didn't support peta and didn't eat beef. this is what it happend in our world which we should know and understand.... I've been a vegetarian for 6-7 years and I fucking hate Peta. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantommaggot Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 but i thought when underground dog-fighting was an element of black culture it wasnt cool. oh well... Well Michael Vick wasn't exactly offering sacrifice to a deity haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Different culture, different beliefs. I agree. I'm for one glad the other 3 pics didn't load. They loaded for me and they are more brutal than I expected after seeing the first pic. I think I'm a heartless bastard because those did nothing for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamlikesmusic Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 I hope they at least eat them. Though they look exceptionally scrawny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonesomexloveus Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 I hope they at least eat them. Though they look exceptionally scrawny. i think it said that they take them back to their villages and eat them because it gives them power or good luck or something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtz Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 I hope they at least eat them. Though they look exceptionally scrawny. from the article... 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurenxvx Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 Blah, Cultural Relativism. But still :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damagdsole Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 are they able to slice through the head in one complete thrust i wonder? those knives look pretty sharp but still for the sake of the cattle i hope its not a hackfest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blanketbyday Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 are they able to slice through the head in one complete thrust i wonder? those knives look pretty sharp but still for the sake of the cattle i hope its not a hackfest. This was the only worry that i had. i'm sure the cattle are raised just for this celebration, and they don't waste the meat....so aside from a more humane way to murder the beast i have no qualms with this... What Blows my mind is the cattle watching other cattle getting beheaded and not running the fuck away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xlovecolouredx Posted November 26, 2009 Author Share Posted November 26, 2009 What Blows my mind is the cattle watching other cattle getting beheaded and not running the fuck away. i ever saw something like this with my eyes and i decided to quit eating beef.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex13 Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 religion....nuff said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
googlemyass Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 i love me some meat, i hate god. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutchrudder Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 Holy fucking shit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steventangent Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 I find quite frequently (particularly among liberals), that the same people that will not comment on something like this in some politically correct persuasion of cultural relativism, will simultaneously be quick to criticize their own countrymen for hunting/fishing/gun ownership/soforth. For example, I've noticed that often times, the same people that would defend the wholesale slaughter of thousands of animals as being part of another culture that needs to be respected, they'll turn around and label someone a redneck for going hunting during deer season. I wonder why that is, other than the same hypocrisy most of us are guilty of when it comes to our social, political, and philosophical beliefs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davehoffa Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 My girlfriend's mom hunts, but you'd better believe they eat/use every part of that animal once its dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan999 Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 cultural sympathies and all, its in the name of religion, so fuck it. also, 200,000 animals in 2 days for "estimated more than 200,000" seems a little gluttonous and bound to have some waste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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