Korban

Being a bit cheeky here and blogging about someone else's experience, but I thought it was interesting, so y'all might too. While we were down in the south of China, Catherine was up here in the big freeze celebrating Korban. Korban is the Moslem Sheep-Killing Festival. It's basically what it says on the tin! Catherine heard that they kill the sheep because when people die, to get to Heaven they need to ride on a sheep, and so they need to make sure there's enough sheep for everyone. I have since heard a very different reason for the sacrifice but have completely forgotten what it is, so if anybody knows...? All the Uyghurs here stock up on sheep to kill. Just before I left on my travels I was walking down a back-street of Urumqi and I saw a sheep tied up waiting to be killed in a few days' time. I was just thinking how I felt a bit sorry for the sheep, having no idea of its fate, when I turned a corner and saw two giant rams charging towards me. One of them ran past but the other was still going in a very direct trajectory towards my internal organs with its horns lowered for maximum impact. I ducked out the way with nano-seconds to spare and it's a good thing I did (for me, haha!) because the sheep launched itself at the unsuspecting man right behind me and knocked him flat to the ground. There was then a rapid community effort to control the ram and several men managed to tie its legs up and cart it off. Scary stuff. That was my own personal experience of Korban, but Catherine got a lot closer! If you're squeamish or vegetarian, perhaps look away.
Caterina has a Uyghur friend called Zulayat who invited her to her home village near Turpan. So Catherine went to stay for the Sheep-Killing Festival for a few days. On the day, they blessed the sheep and then slit its neck and collected all the blood, because nothing must touch the ground. Then the imam who had blessed the sheep cut off one of the sheep's hooves and began blowing into the leg! His face was covered with the matted fur and blood, and Catherine had no idea why he would do that, until the sheep began to blow up like a balloon! Apparently if you blow into any part of any animal like that, it separates the flesh from the skin so it can be skinned more easily. After skinning the sheep they had to remove the internal organs. The most revolting was when they took out the intestines, and then smoothed them down so they could squeeze everything out of them. Catherine was rather shocked to see what came flying out of the end! Let's leave it to your imagination... She says they also had to empty the stomach, and she couldn't believe just how much came out of it! They cooked it all up, including the organs, and Catherine and everyone else tucked into a meal of delicious fresh mutton. The next few days of the festival are spent visiting family and friends and sharing the sheep's flesh. Unfortunately the mutton gets less and less fresh as time goes by, and Catherine says that by the end it was just sitting out on the side covered with dust and stuff, and then when it came to eating it it was chewy and old. But none can be left to waste! Everything must be used. They also use the sheep's wool and skin too, so they genuinely do put the entire sheep to use. So that, my friends, is Korban. Worlds away from The Bund in Shanghai eh?