Cutting cattle is an important activity in the funeral and sacrifice ceremonies of ethnic minorities in Guizhou and a few areas in Guangxi, and its content is the sacrifice and remembrance of the deceased, most ethnic groups in Guizhou are engaged in mountain farming, and cattle are the most important and important labor force in agricultural production.
The image comes from the Internet
Some old people have specially raised cattle for sacrifice before they die, in preparation for the future cutting of cattle, if the economy is difficult at that time can not cut cattle, in the case of economic improvement in the future, they must also make up for the cattle cutting ceremony.
When cutting cattle, it is carried out by two cattle cutters, one from each of the main family and one person from the outside family, and the cattle machete needs to be polished for seven days, grinding to the point where the hair can be broken, according to the rules, when cutting the cow, only the neck of the cow behind the horn can be cut, not on the horn. Cutting cattle can only cut three, five, seven, nine knives, the specific number of knives cut is generally determined by the main family according to the situation, but must be singular.
After a certain ceremony was held for the cattle according to the custom, the elders of the main family led the cattle cutting hands to the field, the elders took the snowy machete around the field for a week, bowed to the people participating in the mourning activities to thank the people, and then solemnly awarded the knife to the cattle cutting hand, at this time the cattle were already aware that death was quietly approaching, uneasily circling around the pillar, but there was a rope tied, no matter how it turned, it was futile, and the people watching around the venue would riot, shouting at the cattle with a loud voice and throwing dirt blocks, with the purpose of making the cattle more frightened, and the two cattle cutters stood on each side. You slash at the neck of the cow with one knife and I, and no matter which side the cow turns, it will be cut down with unmistakable accuracy.
The process of cutting cattle is quite cruel and bloody, I have seen on the spot, when the cow's neck is cut by the sharp knife in the hands of the two people, the cow in order to avoid the rotation around the pillar, but no matter which side it turns, it will be cut down by the knife in the hands of the two people at the right time, the ground on the ground is quickly dyed red, until finally when the bull's head is about to fall, the cow will fall down breathlessly, but this process of death is long and painful and helpless for the cow that cannot dominate its own life. When it felt that the rope that bound its nose made it impossible for it to escape the necessary death, in a knife-by-knife slaughter, it could only numbly turn slowly around the pillar, its eyes full of tears and pain.
And this kind of pain, the people around it can not experience, they are just following the customs handed down by their ancestors for thousands of years, and no one has ever changed. There is a saying in the local area that if a dead person does not cut down cattle to sacrifice, it is that the descendants are not filial piety, so no one wants to be the son of filial piety, especially the villagers who are simple in the local folk. So for every time a person dies, a cow dies like this. And when you see this with your own eyes, I believe that your heart will also become dull and painful, and you will be grieving for that weak life (I am not a saint, I eat beef, but I can't accept this way of dying from cattle).
There are many nationalities in the mainland, and all ethnic groups retain their own national habits and national cultures, and some customs should be respected and feared, but after all, the times are developing, and similar customs should be abandoned, after all, it is too bloody and cruel, in another way, less barbaric and primitive ways, give the cattle a painful pleasure, do not let the cattle die so painfully, because it is also a life, it can also feel the pain, but it can not resist.