Dog spinning or “trichane na kuche”
is a ritual celebrated in Brodilovo, a rural Bulgarian village
Dog spinning (Bulgarian: тричане на куче(та), trichane na kuche(ta)) is a ritual performed once a year on March 6 to prevent rabies in a village and keep away the bad spirits of springtime.
In dog spinning, a rope is wrapped around a dog and the animal is suspended above a body of water, such as a river. The dog is turned repeatedly until the rope is twisted as far as it will coil. Then the coil is released so the dog spins wildly as the rope unwinds and the animal falls into the water.
Nothing is supposed to happen to the dogs used in the ritual, but photos from previous dog spinning days show the faces of terrified animals as they hang helplessly above a river or stream with a crowd of people cheering from the shore. In the past dogs have drowned because they are so disoriented when they drop into the water.
There is considerable risk that the dog swallows the dirty water or get water in the lungs as they are totally disconcerted by the spin. The dogs are also shocked and traumatic of the experience. They understand only the cruelty of this.
The ropes cut into the chest of the dog and hurts, rope squeezing also the lungs. Dogs must surely believe that they will die.
The practice was stopped in 2005 when the media outside of Bulgaria found out about the ritual and reported it to the world. Animal welfare organizations were outraged by its cruelty and the pressure they put on Bulgaria put an end to the practice.
The ropes cut into the chest of the dog and hurts, rope squeezing also the lungs. Dogs must surely believe that they will die.
The practice was stopped in 2005 when the media outside of Bulgaria found out about the ritual and reported it to the world. Animal welfare organizations were outraged by its cruelty and the pressure they put on Bulgaria put an end to the practice.
But the mayor of Brodilovo, a rural Bulgarian village, has renewed the ancient ritual in 2011. He said, “Nobody is killing or hurting the dogs. They are brought by their owners who love them in order to take part in this folklore ritual, which is meant to cleanse the local community of evil and to generate fertility. The dogs are spun for about 15-20 seconds, and then they fall in the water, which amounts to bathing them.”
Mayor Petko Arnaudov told the Sofia News Agency that “society and the international community has misinterpreted the ritual.”
The mayor said his village restored the tradition because they were looking for hope in the “extreme” bad economy. A recent outbreak of foot and mouth disease has brought the farming town to the brink of despair.
The dog spinning event has pitted the town against animal advocates from all over Bulgaria. Even the Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov has condemned the practice. He has asked the Prosecutor General to take action and called on his government to establish sanctions against the village.
Bulgaria’s Parliament recently amended their animal cruelty law to criminalize animal abuse. Serious fines and up to five years in prison can now be handed down to those who “injure an animal on purpose.”
Breaking news!
they decided to 'soften' their barbaric dog spinning ritual
Saturday, 25th of February, 2012
Besieged by animal rights activists, a small southeastern Bulgarian village has agreed to water down a controversial "dog spinning" ritual it has been proudly performing for ages.
In dog spinning, which is practiced in Brodilovo at the beginning of March, a dog is suspended above water on a rope.
The dog is turned repeatedly in a given direction to wind the rope, then released so that it spins rapidly in the opposite direction as the rope unwinds, until the dog falls into the water. The locals claim that the dog is not supposed to be physically hurt.
This ancient ritual of pagan origin is performed in order to prevent rabies and is a part of the traditional Kukeri rituals.
But on Saturday, under the critical eyes of animal rights activists from Sofia and Burgas, the people of Brodilovo opted for a softer version of the ritual and just threw the dog into the water without spinning it on a rope.
Days before the special date, the Bulgarian "Animal Rescue Sofia" NGO announced it would organize a visit to Brodilovo, in which the controversial "dog spinning" ritual is practiced even though it has been banned by the Mayor of the Tsarevo municipality.
"Animal Rescue Sofia" has launched a Facebook campaign to drum up support for stopping the ritual.
Dog spinning – or trichane, as locals call it - is now practiced only in Brodilovo. In 2005, the foreign media found out about the tradition and the world was outraged by its cruelty. Bulgarian animal welfare organizations also stood firmly against it.
The ritual was considered dead until 2011 when the villagers renewed it, as they were frightened by the FMD outbreak in the region. Prime Minister Boyko Borisov officially condemned it as "barbaric."
Many of the folklore traditions of Southeastern Bulgaria dating back to pagan times are world-renowned for their uniqueness - such as the fire-dancing or nestinarstvo, which is practiced only in this region
Source
The people of Brodilovo couldn't wait til 6th of March and celebrated
their stupid ritual already on 25th of February!
diesen Artikel gibt es in deutscher Sprache auf der Website von Million Actions for Animals