Animal Sacrifice Depicted in Art

On June 28 Chuvash people of Alših, Tatarstan performed a big sacrificial ritual. Local journalist Ulatimӗr Babikin (used to work for Pӑva TV studio) reports that folks slaughtered a young bull and prayed over it.

The sacrifice brought rains that watered fields and woods of Chuvashia dried up by scorching hot weather that even caused the officials in Patӑrjel rayon to announce emergency situation.

Let's remind here, that in the old times Chuvash would preform animal sacrifice in hot and scorching weather at nearby springs or rivers, lakes or ponds. They would usually read prayers over sacrificial porridge, milk soup and omelet. Folklorists also recorded many instances of horse, bull and lamb sacrifice.

We should also add here, that sacrifice is recorded within Christian Chuvash as well. In XIX century local clergy equated it with the one in Old Testament and called it Abrahamic Faith. Sacrificial lamb feast is offered on or after Petrav Kunӗ (Feast of Saints Peter and Paul). The other time the feast is held is in autumn and it resembles that of Islamic Kurban Bayram. Family, relatives, friends and neighbors gather under one roof or rather in the garden to celebrate the Christian holiday. Nowadays, the sacrificial and religious elements have faded, and it is just a festive meal rather than a semi-Islamic, or any ancient religious sacrifice.