Vietnam to crackdown on cruel festivals

HANOI Vietnam’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Minister, Hoang Tuan Anh, has confirmed the elimination of brutal festivals in which animals are beaten to death for sacrifices linked to religious or folklore rites.
Tuoi Tre News quoted the tourism minister saying: “As the Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and a National Assembly deputy, I confirm that barbaric animal sacrifice rituals in festivals, such as the pig slaughter festival in northern Bac Ninh province or the buffalo killing fest in Phu Tho province in the northeastern region will be eliminated.”
“Bloody images of slaughtered pigs or buffaloes are truly offensive and need to be removed,” he stated, adding that such images have met with strong criticism from the public.
“Though the killings take place at just a few village fests, the whole world has learned about them thanks to the internet,” he added. “It’s the image of the country and our people, not just the villages that is compromised.”
inside no 5However, according to festival representatives it is not easy to remove the animal sacrifice ritual from the festivals.
Nem Thuong village’s pig slaughter fest in Bac Ninh representative, Nguyen Dinh Loi, said it is impossible to change immediately.
An unnamed representative of the buffalo fest in Phu Tho said he could not put an end to the event, adding local residents would kill the animals in other ways instead of beating them on their heads.
Organised by people in the Nem Thuong village, the pig slaughter festival involves parading two pigs around the village before cutting their throats for blood. Villagers then wet bank notes with the fresh blood and put them on altars in their houses to pray for a good harvest and good health.

sourced:ttrweekly.com