ONE LUCKY SHEEP?

A couple weeks ago we celebrated Eid Al Adha – the Feast of the Sacrifice in Turkey. Turks practice many pagan rituals that have been adapted to Islam and/or modern Turkish culture, and the sacrifice is one example.

Apart from this holiday, folks sacrifice animals throughout the year to celebrate, give thanks and to bring good luck. When the last of a troublesome model of planes was sent back to the UK by Turkish Airlines, some of the workers celebrated by sacrificing a camel at the airport. A friend of mine refused to sacrifice an animal when they bought a new vehicle for their business and the van had several accidents and incidents throughout the year.

This year Mahmut and his family sacrificed a sheep. A prayer is said to the animal, the butcher makes a quick slit to the throat, the animal is carved up and some of the meat goes to the family and the rest to the poor.

I love my meat – be it a nice steak, some lamb chops or a sizzling shish kebab. I also don’t get queasy easily. But when they brought back the meat and Mahmut’s 10 year old nephew called out ‘it’s still warm!’ I had to leave the room. I didn’t want to be the sissy foreigner, so I popped my head into the kitchen from time to time while they were carving the meat into more manageable pieces. I was able to tolerate the concept more, until Mahmut’s Mom called me over to show me something ‘Look at this! The vein is still throbbing!’. They finally had to leave the meat on the balcony to cool down because, as I learned that day, warm meat is more difficult to cut than cold meat.

Needless to say, I didn’t take any lamb home with me, and it was a few days before I could stomach a piece of meat. I will still have my steak any day – just don’t remind me where it came from!

ANCIENT TRADITION GOES MODERN

December 31st is just around the corner and you know what that means. Well, this year it means Kurban Bayram in Turkey - the Holiday of the Sacrifice.

Once upon a time there was a guy called Ibrahim (Abraham). He was asked by God to show his devotion by sacrificing one of his sons. In Christian tradition, that son's name was Isaac. According to Islam it was the other son, Ismail that was to get the axe. Ibrahim did what he was told and at the last moment, his son miraculously turned into a lamb.


To commemorate this miraculous event, Eid el Adha is celebrated every year. It also marks the end of the Haj Pilgrimage to Mecca. Families that can afford to have an animal sacrificed to give thanks to Allah, and the meat is given to the poor. It has come to my attention that this ancient tradition has taken on a very modern twist in Turkey.

According to my friend Lucy, it's a major PR coup if a hypermarket (giant supermarket) becomes the site of the neighborhood's sacrifices. Not only do they get hundreds of people visiting their store during the holidays, they also build up good will with the locals. Take Carrefour for example. In some cities they build a huge pit in their parking lot to help with the sacrificial draining. They set up an area for the animals. They offer a 'sacrifice package' - you pick out your animal, and they will house, feed, take care of and slaughter it for you. And you can pay for your holiday package with a credit plan of 6 installments! I don't think Allah saw that one coming when he did the ol' switcharoo on the mount...


My colleague Gamze found another convenient way to give thanks during the holiday season - www.aloadak.com. Like choosing a hottie from an online dating service, you can pick out your sacrificial lamb over the internet, make arrangements for the sacrifice and pay online. According to the site "Those who don't have time to go to the Animal Market can call our Hello Sacrifice hotline or contact us through our website for all your sacrificial needs." No fuss, no muss, settle your holiday duties with just one phone call!

I wonder if there's an online confession service for Catholics...