Sacrificing Lambs - Oh My

Korban Bayram is the biggest, and longest holiday in Turkey.

It commemorates Abraham following God’s demand that he sacrifice his son. As Abraham was going to cut his son’s throat, an angel appeared and said that he had proven his love for God, and to kill a lamb instead.  Every year, for Korban Byram, each family that has no debt (not sure how this works since many people with homes and cars have some debt) kills a sheep (or goat or even cow) and gives 2/3 of the animal meat to the poor.  The skins can also be donated to the mosque, to a family to use, or to the air force.

the animals arrive with the new tractor

taking a break in the day

A week before the event, stables are built in parking lots and empty spots around the town and filled with various animals to be sold for killing. People visit the stalls, talk with the ranchers, and bargain.  At night, the men hang out at the stalls and drink beer. People come by to bargain all night.

On the day of the killing, the families (or it seems mostly the men) go to mosque to pray first thing in the morning.  Then they pick up their purchased animals and take them to a location for killing.  Many people live in town or suburbs, and killing on your property is allowed for this holiday.  First you dig a hole where the blood will drain. You prepare the location for skinning the animal and cutting up the meat.

The animal is tied up for killing, and a prayer is said to thank God for the meat…..

The neck is slashed and the animal is bled. Then it is skinned. Depending on the animal, this process differs. For sheep, they fill the space between the skin and meat with air via an air pump – even a bicycle pump. This makes it easier to skin. The head is removed to be cooked since it is a delicacy, and the meat is cut up.  2/3 is given away and the rest is prepped for immediate eating and for freezing for later use.

All morning, trucks with speakers are driving up and down the streets asking for the skins to be donated to the air force. Neighbors stop by to see the activities. Some bring food or tea/coffee. By evening, you smell meat cooking everywhere as each family gets to eat some of their meat. But honestly, by this point, meat is the last thing I want! And drinking alcohol is not accepted with the eat on the table.  So, it was a long evening.  

Visitors come to the house the rest of the week. Home made baklava and sweets are passed around to visitors who are typically wearing their finest clothes. This is a happy time, a family time, and a time to eat as much as you want.