The scenes in thеse photos are from a tradition called “Prayer for Rain“. Ten cows and thirty sheep are slaughtered in sacrifice every first Sunday of July near the village of Dolni Voden, in the northern skirts of the Rhodope Mountain. In the past, at least 10,000 used to gather to pray for rain and fertility.
Traditionally, the prayer for rain brings together not only Muslims but also their Christian neighbours. On Saturday, the Hodja reads a prayer over the sacrificial animals, which are then slaughtered by the local people, leaving their blood to soak into the ground, and the meat is cut and thrown into vats.
Fifty fires flare as early as 4 am on Sunday morning so that the korban is ready before the midday prayer for rain. Nowadays, in compliance with EU food standards, the meat for the korban is delivered by industrial suppliers.*
*The text is from the book “Bulgaria of Veselin Borishev”
