Taiwan 鈥榟oly pig鈥 ceremony attracts crowds, critics
Print Edition
THOUSANDS of worshippers yesterday flocked to a “holy pig” festival in Taiwan, where the carcasses of giant hogs are put on display, a custom deplored by animal rights campaigners.
The annual ritual, slammed by activists as inhumane, is held to celebrate the birth of the Taoist god Zushi and is staged in a square outside the temple in his name in the northern district of Sanhsia.
Owners compete to display the largest pig, with the winner taking home a trophy.
To a fanfare of music, five pigs, killed the night before, were wheeled into the square yesterday with the heaviest weighing 714 kilograms.
Their decorated bodies were displayed upside down in brightly decorated vans, their tiny heads dwarfed by their bloated torsos.
“The pigs are presented to show our gratitude and respect to the god Zushi,” said temple worker Huang Chun-chi.
After the festival, the carcasses are taken home by their owners and the meat shared.
Animal rights activists said the pigs are hit on the snout to force them to keep eating.
“We oppose holy pig contests,” said Chu Tseng-hung, head of the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan. “Farmers have adopted inhumane methods to force-feed pigs,” he said.
The centuries-old tradition is vehemently defended by worshippers.
“The tradition has been misinterpreted by some animal rights groups,” said Lee Kai-jui, a neighborhood chief in Sanhsia who also won first prize at yesterday’s contest.
Despite thousands of people attending the events, Chu said support for them was waning due to a growing awareness of animal rights and skepticism over the festival contestants.
“In the past, pig owners raised them on their own to show their respect and sincerity to the gods. Now many of them just buy pigs straight from farmers. This has made many people feel a lack of sincerity,” he said.
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