Kibkom North Cyprus Forum

Does anyone know why the builders would slaughter a sheep on the cement foundations of a new house?
Do you have any idea what the thinking is behind it? Is it something they do regularly? Does it happen all the time?

In North Africa the slaughter of a sheep at the foundation or near a new car is too bring good luck and the meat is given away to feed the poor.
It is Centuries old tradition which still happens in countries like TRNC

cathywallen wrote:Does anyone know why the builders would slaughter a sheep on the cement foundations of a new house?
Do you have any idea what the thinking is behind it? Is it something they do regularly? Does it happen all the time?

It is tradition here I'm afraid, and supposed to bring good luck to the home owner and a free meal to the workers, I believe. This is how they do things here. It's their country and some of their culture doesn't sit well with some of us.

it might be a century old tradition.. but surely not in the TRNC ( or Cyprus in general)
i was whitness of several homes build, foreigners, cypriots... and never an animal was slaughtered.

as far as I know, this practice is illegal anyway.
when you see how they do it... it lacks all aspects of hygienics...
all animals must go to the slaughterhouse and... get a vet check..
or you have to hire a vet...

it seems this tradition is "newly imported" to the TRNC... since approx 10 years...

I suspect, but can't be sure because I wasn't there, that it happened when our house was being built. All 14 blokes, other than the foreman were Turkish peasants, who wouldn't recognise a built in loo if it came and hit them on the nose. Thats why I feel sure the practice went on at our place 11 years ago.

I wonder how many people would give up their traditional Christmas dinner avoid the large scale slaughter of Turkeys ,or indeed, would share part of their Christmas and Easter feasts with poorer people? Or how many had barbecued meat as part of their house warming celebrations. The only difference is that people who buy their meat in cellophane from a Supermarket or even ready prepared by a good butcher can distance themselves from the life and death of the animal. In fact the sheep sacrificed in this tradition (and for Kurban Bayram) probably have a much better life and and quicker death than in many so called civilised countries where the animal or bird has been caged all its life, taken in a squashed lorry , possibly without food or water for many miles, to a terrifying abattoir! In my view only convinced and practicing vegetarians or vegans have the right to criticize and patronise threasonably humane killing of animals if the end result is to provide meat for those who need it.i

On a previous discussion on this subject one man described his visit to a chicken farm for a famous English brand of cream of chicken soup and after hearing the conditions they were kept in I have never touched the stuff since! I still enjoy kebab and love seeing the herds of sheep and goats wandering the island in search of pastures new - long may it last!!!!!!

The practice of sacrificing a sheep or other animal is a custom of the Turkish Cypriots as well as in many other Middle Eastern counties. Provided it is done properly it does not involved unnecessary suffering for an animal, is probably more hygienic than many abattoirs and probably provides the poorer labourers with the only square meals they get. If unnecessary cruelty is involved it is contrary to the laws of Islam and the TRNC and should be reported to the authorities.

The practice of making a sacrifice to propitiate the gods, ward off evil spirits, and bring good luck goes back to ancient pagan times long before the times of the Prophet Mohammed, Jesus Christ or Moses, in most inhabited parts of the World. The Druids of ancient Britain in particular had some very nasty customs! Just be glad that the animals sacrificed here are four legged and that they are killed quickly before being buried or eaten

Ragged Robin:
nice post.

although the idea of slaughtering an animal "more conscious" is in general nice, i still prefer the animal to be stunned before it gets its throat slit.
whether these people, described as " Turkish peasants, who wouldn't recognise a built in loo if it came and hit them on the nose" can do a "proper halal" slaughter is another question...
but.. in a modern (and overpopulated) islamic world, proper halal slaughter is also not possible any more.
thats one reason why eg, for kurban bayram the turkish gov tries to convince , especially the urban people, to donate .. money instead.

anyway, the "kismet" of not beeing properly slaughtered (and suffer for 5 or 10 seconds longer...), seem to be less bad as the kismet to be caged and fed with powerfood, to be killed cheap and efficient.. just to be a cheap food source (pork chops greek side 4,30 kilo at Lidl... (?)

btw, the wandering of goats on this island (any many more places around the world) should be prohibited.

Thank you kibsolar for the compliment and for your interesting post

However are you talking about Turkey or the TRNC as you refer to "The Turkish Government"?


It is difficult enough for us to compare levels of suffering of humans with the capacity of speech , how much harder with animals.

I agree with you in principle about stunning an animal before slitting its throat , but I am far from convinc ed that stun guns are a failsafe method of ensuring the animal feels no pain, they are too subject to misuse but my main concern is the fear generated by so many animals being killed in one place at the same time, I have not actually seen an abattoir personally but all I have heard and read suggests they can be very unpleasant and upsetting places. I have seen a sheep ritually slaughtered here, and though it was not very nice, I was not really shocked or upset, and I am squeamish as well as being an an animal lover.! This was however carried by a qualified, trained and experienced butcher hired for the occasion. I take your point about building site labourers not necessarily knowing, let alone complying with the strict codes of halal . I think a lot of Cypriots are now preferring to make donations rather than sacrifice an animal.

Incidentally I assume butchers are licensed to slaughter animals - it would be unrealistic to expect Vets to attend every time an animal is killed for meat. Particularly as the Vets are far too busy running lucrative small animal practices!

I wonder whether the meat raised here and sold by butchers and supermarkets is halal? I must say on the whole I find meat and chicken and eggs much tastier than plastic packs in the UK but I have always assumed that was because they were reared in more natural surrounding - talking about this has made me wonder if the method of killing and, according to a report I just read, stunning,has an effect. On the other hand I hear that unhung sacrificed animals are not that pleasant to eat, being too "bloody". But then expensive London Restaurants serve steaks rare dripping with blood to diners who - one hopes - would recognise a built in loo even if it did not hit them on the nose! Not to mention lobsters boiled alive, pate de foie gras, and veal.

Why do you think goats wandering around should be prohibited. I do hope it is not because they might get in the way of people driving increasingly and unnecessary large vehicles at increasingly and unnecessary high speeds at the risk to pedestrians, the ederly and disabled, children and pet animals as well as goats and damaging the environment in general and people's home in particular

If on the other hand goats - like the donkeys of the Karpas - then that is more valid. How big is the problem and how does it compare with the loss to culture and perhaps tourists of banning the goats? Is it nota matter where - like thedonkey, compromises should be reached. Do you want to ban shepherded sheep in search of pasture as well as goats?

If I may just chip in regarding "wandering of goats" - I don't know whether this is how kibsolar sees it, but apparently goats are one of the most environmentally- destructive creatures on earth (almost as bad as humans! ). This Australian report and this site highlight the problem, which is the goat's ability and willingness to eat practically anything - thus basically drastically reducing or destroying all vegetation. There have been suggestions that the popularity of goats (due to their hardiness and "versatility" - providers of both meat and milk) over other animals contributed in the distant past to the creation of desert regions....

jofra:
yes, thats what i meant. many govs want to prohibit or at least restrict the amount of goats..... but these villagers... these traditions...

the "industrial treatment" of animals is a nightmare... incl eg, the (sometimes) practice to pluck gooses alive .. just because of lack of time... that our new down jacket does not become too expensive...
the question of "how to (treat and ) kill an animal properly" is not a new thing... and as many of us get more and more educated... many of us want to be "political correct" about this.
sometimes we have "romantic feelings".. eg about the old times ... when "everything was better" (not true) and "more nature"... when "meat" was much more valuable and contributed to the survival of the community much more as today..
eg, for centuries (better: eras) we did hunt with eg, with bow and arrow. it sometimes took hours, days, until the animal was dead. Native americans did ride alongside buffalos and “pumped” dozens of arrows into the animal.. till it stopped and finally was killed.
you never would get a permission for something like this today...
but the hunter was praised when the first shot killed... (also because it did avoid a long hunt).
and today? if you do not kill a deer with the first shot... and this continues to be the case.. then you get a "warning" from the hunting association...absolutely ok.
nearly all "natives around the world" have (better: had) rules for killing animals... often some religious speeches, for the animal and the hunter... incl a certain demand for some degree of humility...
is it really bad to boil a lobster alive?.. it also takes only seconds until its dead. not more as in halal killing.
(no, its not. You can kill a lobster easily within a second, the second before you boil it)
we still fish with nets... it may also takes hours until the fish is dead.
should be a diffenrence made for insects, birds, fish and mammals (yes, of course)

İam not sure.. but i belive in the TRNC butchers are not entitled to slaughter... we have the central slaughterhouse in Haspolat.
And.. a vet is mandatory in all (?) european countries ... exactly this is the reason why “home slaughtering” in eg, germany is “out”... the costs...

or do YOU want to eat an old, half sick and worm infected mutton, just ok for the poor or the dedication of an foundation ?

I could go on, but must... goto work... to install a solar system...

I am sorry that I somehow missed a line out of my last post: in the first line of the last para I meant to say "on the other hand goats can be destructive and if they are causing damage, eg to crops.........................."

I may also have mislead by using the word "wandering" . Goats are not native to Australia but were introduced by "settlers" and are now feral and wander unsupervised. The goats in Cyprus by custom and practice are herded and their grazing is under supervision on waste and scrub land where their omnivorous habits , far from damaging the environment, improve it by removing overgrowth and encouraging new growth, and also by destroying fire hazards! They also in the process eat medicinal plants and herbs which added to low cholesterol and high iron and vitamin content (as well as being less likely to be allergic than cows products) makes their the meat, milk, cheese and yoğurt very healthy food sources . The herders of sheep and goats are supposed to avoid domestic areas, but of course in the last twelve years many buildings, including housing estates have appeared on areas habitually transversed by herds of these domestic animals . This is the fault of greedy and thoughtless builders and purchasers, aggravated by inadequate Town and Country Planning legislation and implementation -not of the goats, their herdsmen or owners, who indeed are not the only sufferers from this misguided "progress ", and prohibition is not the answer.

To want to retain the traditions or Cyprus or anywhere else is not just romantic or sentimental : - before screaming for "progress" people should look at history and the reasons for the "tradition" or "custom" they want to trample underfoot to proved their mistaken belief in their own superiority to "these villagers, these traditions" and study why the practice was instituted and developed and what its benefits were and may be still are before scrapping it in the "sacred" (ha ha) name of progress. They should also study the supposed disadvantages as well as the benefits to themselves of whatever will take the place of the discarded custom.

By the way the TRNC is not in the EU - nor is Turkey - so EU legislation does not apply!

"Man's inhumanity to man" (and to woman and others of the animal kingdom) has existed ever since man has and shows no signs of abating. The only difference is now we have more sophisticated weapons than bow and arrows and flint axes to inflict more damage to more people and animals in less time. Is this progress?

PS I live in a village so I count myself as a "villager".

That is why I chose to have an apartment in the east, Tatlisu as I used to love seeing the sheep & goats on the move......