Happy Bayram! (Sorry Sheeps!)

Today, and the following three days, are Bayram, days of celebration, in  Islam. The Turkish name for these celebrations is "Kurban Bayramı", meaning the sacrifice celebration. From the name of it, I think you get gist of what goes on around the world in Muslim countries in these four days. Just so you get the full picture, let me make it clear: the followers of Islam, slaughter lambs and cattles all over the cities, on the roads and in their backyards, and then people eat the meat of the lamb which they have just slaughtered two-three hours ago with their own hands, and claim that the blood that has been shed shows their worship, and they donate some of the meat to poor people. So, undoubtedly, a question comes to mind: if the whole point was to help poor people, why not just donate money or clothes, or do charity work, rather than cutting the throats of lambs in the middle of the streets?

Here's the origin story of Kurban Bayramı:

Abraham wants to show his dedication to his religion, so he asks God what he can do. In return, God tells him to sacrifice his oldest son. Abraham takes his son to the edge of a cliff, and just when he is about to cut his son's throat, his son in his grip gets replaced by a lamb, and Abraham sacrifices that.

Come to think of it, besides all the blood bath, Kurban Bayramı is actually a nice holiday. During  Kurban Bayramı, the younger members of the families visit their elders, the poor people receive money and meat, distant relatives meet, and most importantly, there is no school :) . But really, if all the blood bath and the sacrifices could be done in more hygienic and civilized ways, or not done at all, Kurban Bayramı could really mean very nice things.

Every single Kurban Bayramı, in Turkey, at the end of the first day of bayram (which is like the most important day), in the news, we see the streets of less developed cities covered in blood, cattles, cows and lambs roaming on highways, escaping from captivity, inexperienced butcher wanna-be people who cut their hands off trying to cut the animals they just bought after long and tiresome negotiations. Even though Kurban Bayramı is an opportunity for people to do some charity and to reunite with their family members, and is driven by religion, what people do to animals just to show their devotion to their religion is not acceptable. I mean, I'm not a vegetarian, but there are surely way more hygienic and less painful ways, for the animals, to show your dedication to your beliefs and donate meat or money to non-governmental organizations.  Kurban Bayramı is a happy, happy day for us, but a sad, sad day for sheep...