Bosphorus waters change color with animal blood

The Bosphorus flows red with animal blood on Eid al-Adha.

As Muslims around the world celebrated the first day of the Eid al-Adha holiday, Turks were once again on the move, either spending time with their families in their hometowns, sacrificing animals - or protesting the ritual.

The four-day Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, commemorates what Muslims believe was Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail - the Biblical Ishmael, though Christians and Jews believe his other son Isaac was the near-sacrifice - as a test of his faith in God.

In remembrance, Muslims around the world slaughtered sheep and other livestock on Oct. 4, giving the meat to the poor. Meanwhile, more than 2 million pilgrims took part in one of the final rites of the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

In Turkey, the authorities warned of the risk of increased traffic accidents across the country due to the mass traveling. Another risk that Turkish people are used to - the risk of injury to amateur butchers slaughtering their animals themselves - was again seen across the country.

Although there were countless instances of injuries, such as people cutting their fingers or being gored by angry bulls, there was only one fatal Eid-related incident. 62-year-old Habip Bostan died in Kayseri province Oct. 4, after suffering a heart attack while slaughtering an animal.


A bull in the eastern province of Sivas, on the other hand, was caught soon after it managed to run away. Police helped catch the bull with its owners, after which municipality officials shot the animal with an air gun loaded with injection darts. Several social media users reacted angrily to photos showing the bull being carried upside down behind a tractor for one kilometer.


In Istanbul, meanwhile, parts of the Bosphorus flowed red on Oct. 4 due to animal blood from slaughters. Despite official warnings, many Muslims on Istanbul's Asian side opted to slaughter their animals themselves, allowing the blood to freely flow into the city's sewers.



On the other hand, some 20 activists from the Independent Nature and Animal Association's "Veganism is Freedom" group staged a protest in Istanbul's Beyoğlu neighborhood on Oct. 4. "The Feast of Sacrifice is happened to be on World Animal Day this year. These massacres are not in accordance with our religion," activist Kazım Çağın said, according to Doğan News Agency.