Kindness Over Culture: Nepal Has Ended The World’s Largest Sacrificial Event

“The Gadhimai Temple Trust hereby declares our formal decision to end animal sacrifice. With your help, we can ensure Gadhimai 2019 is free from bloodshed. Moreover, we can ensure Gadhimai 2019 is a momentous celebration of life … For every life taken, our heart is heavy. The time has come to transform an old tradition.”

Beautiful words!

occurring every 5 years over the last 300 years, the Gadhimai Festival has been a bloodbath of torture and sacrifice. Thousands of water buffalo, chickens among other animals will no longer face the cruel practice of beheading, throat slitting and bludgeoning all in the name of tradition.

Being nothing small in feat, the extraordinary efforts of the  Humane Society International/India, Animal Welfare Network Nepal, and countless animal protection groups and individuals around the world are the reason these animals are now shown a kindness not felt in years.

There is still much to do regarding constant education and enlightenment leading up to the next festival, one where the animals will be celebrated for their life, not their death. The Gadhimai Temple Trust is most certainly to thank for their continuing efforts to remind those who are unaware that our greatest power above all is humanity.

Exploding all over social media, a long running campaign has been waged on behalf of victims of the festival. This is the benchmark for many. Proving that there is a movement towards a more humane world. People are changing, becoming kinder.

“Worldwide, never before has there been such a rate of positive change — in public policy; in commerce; in public awareness and advocacy. And never before have the animals of this world needed it so much.”

We are living in an age where animals are merely seen as a commodity, no longer loved, but rather spending their entire lives confined in factory farms only to have their lives so cruelly ended.

A global shift in thought is needed to break this ruthless cycle. The awareness of a need to show compassion and take responsibility for our actions.

Some of the worst cruelty and suffering has been excused in the name of “traditions”. Be it the Festival of Sacrifice in Australia, the many pigs and turkeys slaughtered over the Christmas and Thanks Giving Period or sporting events like Bull Fights and Rodeos still found as acceptable entertainment.

“When kind people seek to transform cruel traditions, they don’t risk losing their identity. They strengthen it by demonstrating that culture cannot be measured by the repetition of practices frozen in time by values of the past. For this, the tradition of the Gadhimai festival will become all the stronger.”

Be it in our temples, our homes or our countries, we choose to live without killing. It truly is that simple.

“The roots of cruelty are not so much strong as widespread. But the time must come when inhumanity protected by custom and thoughtlessness will succumb before humanity championed by thought. Let us work that this time may come.” – Albert Schweitzer

Tradition steeped in cruelty can be transformed through our compassion, we have a specific role to play in this – we can choose the celebration of life over the celebration of death.

H/T AnimalsAustralia

 

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