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Sunday 1 April 2007

Ram sacrifice, Etseri, Svaneti, Georgia, May 2001

Animal sacrifice, as opposed to simple butchery, is still a common practice in the Caucasus, moreso the higher (thus more pagan) one goes. It can be done to "bargain" with God, or in thanksgiving, or in memorial. So this isn't just a pretty picture of a ram; it's a pre-sacrifice portrait. I stayed around from start to finish to make sure I'm a real carnivore, not just a meat-eater who hasn't seen the cost, the process.

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