Dog spinning ritual
Photo: skandalno.net
Type: Local custom
Location: Village Brodilovo »
In Bulgarian: Ритуал Тричане на кучета »
The "Dog spinning" (known in Bulgaria as "Trichane") is awful ritual that is practiced mainly in southeastern Bulgaria. The most known place where it is performed is village of Brodilovo.
The ritual was traditionally practised on the first day of Lent and probably have pagan origins. According local believings It prevents rabies.
The ritual:
a dog is suspended above water on a rope and is turned repeatedly in a given direction to wind the rope (or is inserted into a loop of rope that has been twisted already). The dog is then released so that it spins rapidly in the opposite direction as the rope unwinds.
The ritual provokes a lot of controversy between the local population and humanitarian and nature conservation organizations. The defenders of the custom claim that a national tradition can not be classified as a cruel treatment of animals, and that "dog spinning" does not mutilate the dog in contrast to circumcision and castration. The environmentalists accuse them of barbarity and organize actions to end the custom.
In 2011, the National Assembly of Bulgartua adopted amendments that treat the custom as Criminal act.
