While Balinese Hindus are in the midst of commemorating Galungan in a ten-day festival starting from Sept. 7, Muslims in Indonesia marked their own holiday this week.
Devotees around the world celebrated the Islamic holy day of Idul Adha, which fell on Monday, Sept. 12 in Indonesia.
Muslims across the archipelago gathered in their villages to celebrate the coming of the special day with sacrifices of sheep and cattle, like this one in the small Javanese city of Yogyakarta, just an hour-long flight from Bali.
Warning: Photos below contain content of animal slaughter that may be considered graphic.
Before the sacrifice, the day started off early with a morning prayer. In this photo, hundreds of Muslims gather from surrounding villages to pray together in a large open space.
Sheep and cattle are the most common animals sacrificed during the holiday in Indonesia, but sacrifices can be other domesticated animals like buffalo, camels and goats, depending on the region.
A blessing is said over the animal before it is sacrificed, swiftly with a slit to the throat then left to bleed out.
Sacrifices on Idul Adha honor Prophet Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his own son, a display of his devotion and submission to God’s will.
The animals are directly butchered on site after the slaughter. The heads will be used for stew.
Villagers spend hours carving out each piece of meat from the cattle.
Every village seems to have its own “sapi (cow) whisperer”, someone who is experienced working with cattle that can keep them calm before their impending death.
While more cows are brought out for sacrifice, cows that have already been slaughtered are moved to the side where they are painstakingly butchered.
Villagers share responsibilities of cleaning up after the slaughter, where liters of blood soak into the cement.
At the end of the day, the meat doesn’t go to waste. It’s divided into portions for distribution to go out to every home in the village. Sate is the most popular dish to be made from the sacrifice meat. Families usually feast together in the evening.
Photos and words: Julianne Greco/Coconuts Bali
