The Anatomy of an Animal Sacrifice

The place was at Indra Jatra festival in Kathmandu's Durbar Square. I was at the festival with a few friends. Durbar Square is in the heart of Kathmandu, a square that serves as a meeting place for many of the local residents who want to buy, sell, and trade their wares. The square houses many of the oldest buildings and temples in the city. It also is home to the Kumari, Nepal's "living goddess" who is about 6 years old. Well Indra Jatra is the festival that celebrates the end of the monsoon season, and the beginning of the harvest season. Durbar Square was absolutley packed! Thousands of Nepalis created one seathing mass of colorful people on the drizzly day in the square. There were three large chariots set up, where the 3 kumari's were taken to and pulled through the square. I have never been pushed and shoved so much! People were all vying for a chance to see the beloved Kumari and see all the goings on of the festival. After much pushing and shoving and near rioting, I looked around to find myself in the press circle at the middle of the square, surrounded by a group of stodgy-old Nepali men with huge cameras. We were all standing in a restricted area where they were about to do animal sacrifices for the festival, which they would offer to the Kumari. So, there I was in the press circle, and no one kicked me out, so I stayed there and watched the a little lamb, and 2 ducks be sacrificed right before my eyes. It was an amazing sight, I have never seen an animal sacrifice here in Nepal (or anywhere.) I know that animals sacrifice is a major part of Nepali culture, but I have not seen one yet. From my spot in the Press circle, I was about the closest person to the animal sacrifice, besides the "ceremonial butcher" who actually killed the animal, in the entire festival of thousands of Nepalis!! So I just ran with it, and sort of pretended I belonged in the restricted area, and snapped away with my little camera, which seemed a bit ridiculous compared to all the massive, long lensed cameras of the actual press.

In this picture is the innocent little lamb, and two ducks, happily oblivious to their fate looming in the future minutes. The lamb lazily sniffed about and starred at everyone with happy eyes. The ducks just sort of quacked about for a while. When the "ceremonial butcher" arrived on the seen, there was a huge riot of pushing from the crowd outside the restricted area trying to get a view of the killing. Riot police had to subdue everyone. A few Nepalis gave me the evil eye, that I had somehow managed to get into the restricted area of the sacrifice. The whole killing happened quite fast. The butcher arrived, grabbed the lamb, snapped it's neck with his hands, sliced the throat, let the blood drain, threw some blood on the Kumari's chariot, then proceeded to slice off the head.