BiRam 2

i was just gosti at a household that celebrates BiRam and asked all kinds of questions and have more information to share with all of you.  first i should qualify this might not be the best blog for kids.  it's exposure to another culture which is important but this one is more graphic.  BiRam is a 4 day turskish holiday that includes Ramazan which already passed.   on Biram the killing of a big, male animal symbolizes the passage to the "other side."  muslims believe there is a passage between this world and the other world, i'm assuming where you go when you die, and killing a male animal assures passage to the other world.  now there are rules, ways to do it like in everything.  you are supposed to do it nicely so the animal doesn't feel anything.  at first i questioned this too but after watching some of the BiRam happenings on the television tonight with a person who knows how it's supposed to be done i can understand more.  there are humane ways to kill an animal and there are inhumane ways to kill an animal.  you are supposed to cut the throat.  if you kill it another way it might not "count" and by this i mean the animal may not be waiting for you on the other side.  thats another thing too.  you can kill an animal for someone, like a son or daughter, and then that animal will be with them on the other side.  and women can't kill the animals; if they  do you have to kill another animal if you want to celebrate the right way.  sorry this is all over the place but i keep remembering other things.  there are places reserved for this and you can't just kill your animal in the street or in your garden.  if you do you will get a ticket and have to pay a fine.  i thought it would be impossile to enforce too until i saw it on the news.  sure enough, there was a helecopter looking for people doing it wrong and a cop also writing tickets.  as with just about anything you have people who take advantage of the tradition, do it just for the sake of doing it or "just for the meat" as my friend said.  this is why i rarely give things up for lent even tho i'm not catholic.  i believe that comittment requires some thought as to why i'm doing it and not just a haphazzard "oh it's lent!  i think i'll give up___!"  for me i seldomly put that much thought into the reason behind why i'm choosing to give up something and i don't think it's fair of me to take part.  Jesus certainly put more thought into giving up things for me and i feel like i owe the same.  all that to say that i certainly learned lots tonight and really enjoyed myself!  there's meaning behind this religious celebration and i'm glad to be part of it!  if this blog offends anyone i am certainly sorry!  words and i don't always agree and i'm not turkish.  this might not be applicable to all muslims so i can't generalize.  i will say this is what i, being a WASP, learned about a turkish holiday from someone turkish.