Animal rights activists are battling to put an end to a shocking festival in India in which herds of cows are forced to run through fire.
Videos have emerged of the bizarre ritual in Sompura village near Bengaluru in Karnataka, southern India.
Footage shows animals which are heavily decorated among crowds of cheering onlookers.
During a video which appears to be filmed on a phone, festival-goers line the edges of a street while a group of men set fire to a pile of hay in the middle of the road.
A group of cows then are seen running down the street with other men chasing after them, many of which are holding ropes attached to the cows.
The cows are also wearing bells and antler-like decorations, and onlookers surrounding the animals cheer as they run straight through fires which rise above the crowds.
According to reports the video was taken on January 15 this year and is an annual ritual which is completed on a day dedicated to the Hindu sun God Makar Sankranti.
Activists say the experience would be extremely stressful for the animals, and have called for the event to be banned.
The ritual is known in southern India as Kicchu Hayisuvudu, and events take place in many towns and villages across the region.
The ritual is said to protect onlookers from harm and bring the community good fortune.
Public opinion relating to events such as these is gradually changing in India, and petitions have been submitted to the Supreme Court to make them a thing of the past.
What do you think of the ritual in which cows are forced to run across fire? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
First-ever plant-based training programme to launch in the UK
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 22nd January 2021
“We hope to inspire and empower the next generation of chefs through the HIT course by highlighting just how easy it is to add creative meat-free dishes to menus.” HIT Training has launched a new plant-based culinary school in the UK. The chef academy has teamed up with meat-free pioneer, Quorn to present an eight-month …
Michelin star awarded to a vegan restaurant in France for the first time
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 19th January 2021
Vegan eatery ONA has also been awarded Michelin’s green star – in recognition of its strong ethical practices. A vegan French restaurant has won a Michelin Guide star, the first for an establishment serving only meat-free products in France. Claire Vallee runs the ONA restaurant in the city of Ares, near Bordeaux, in south-west France. …
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a …
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …