For one reason or another, humans can do terrible things in the spirit of keeping up with their old traditions – and this kind of mentality can be seen when we talk about the Bulgarian rituals of dog spinning ritual. The information contained below is graphic in nature.
Dog Spinning Ritual
What exactly is the dog spinning ritual?
Each and every single year on March 6, instead of looking for the best places to travel with your dog, the residents of villages in Bulgaria collect the dogs in the local community, bring them to the edge of a body of water, and then begin to suspend them over the water by ropes that have been tied around their chest and then connected to a larger rope that spans the body of water itself.
The dogs are then spun around and around and around until the rope is as tight as it can get and then the dogs are released. They spin around like helicopter blades at unbelievable speeds after the ropes have compressed their ribs, and as soon as there is no more rope for them to spin on they are dumped directly into the frigid water and forced to swim back to shore. Do you see how terrifying is the view?
Dog spinning ritual prevents evil spirits!?
The people of Bulgaria claim that this ancient dog spinning ritual has gone on for centuries and is used to prevent rabies and ward off evil spirits. The Bulgarian government, recognizing just how downright despicable and disgusting this ritual has banned the practice completely in 2006, but there are villages throughout the country that do not enforce the law – and many of them that flout the law completely.
The ritual was established as far back as the 1860s and was designed to replace something even more sinister
The earliest recording of the dog spinning ritual traces back to 1869 when a handful of Bulgarian newspapers reported a number of villages throughout the country refusing to embrace the previous tradition of whipping and beating dogs until rabies “left their spirit” or they died.
It’s almost impossible to conceive of now, but some progressive people in Bulgaria at that point in time were tired of seeing the dogs in their village beat within an inch of their life in an effort to ward off disease and evil spirits so they decided to appease the elders and create the process of dog spinning – a ritual that is considerably less physically violent but has left psychological scars on dogs for more than 100 years and also resulted in the deaths of thousands of dogs due to drowning because of the disorientation caused by the dog spinning ritual itself.
Designed to fall on the first day of Lent:
Historians believe that both of these rituals – beating dogs until the spirits left their body and the dog spinning ritual itself – has historical roots that go all the way back to pagan origins, stretching back hundreds and hundreds of years, but now it has a different religious tone that runs right through the ritual itself because it is practiced on the first day of Lent in Bulgaria.
No historians really agree about why this date was chosen other than the pagan influence, and historians still aren’t sure of why the people of Bulgaria believed that it could be possible to beat disease out of animals, beat evil spirits out of animals, or beat dogs severely enough that they wouldn’t be able to contract diseases and illnesses later on in life.
The future of dog spinning is bleak:
Because the world has become more connected today than ever before, and because news travels to all corners of the globe with lightning-like speed – especially when it’s as bad or as savage as this – the future of the dog spinning ritual is as bleak as it has ever been in its history.
As we highlighted above, the dog spinning ritual that has been practiced in Bulgaria for more than 100 years has been outlawed completely since 2006. And while villages continue to flout these rules, these laws, and the social obligations, the government of Bulgaria is being crushed under global pressure to actually enforce these laws and stop this practice completely.
Global petitions are popping up all over the developed world, but especially in the United States and the United Kingdom, to put pressure on the Bulgarian government in the form of sanctions and other punitive actions if necessary to make sure that dog spinning stops once and for all.
Dog spinning ritual video:
This is, after all, the 21st century and we now understand beyond a shadow of a doubt that suspending dogs over water, crushing them with ropes and spinning them until they are so disoriented that they drown is never going to ward off rabies and isn’t going to protect anyone from evil spirits.
Hopefully, the Bulgarian government will continue to put pressure on those that are trying to practice these kinds of ugly activities and will eventually live in a world where the dog spinning ritual is nothing more than a horrible memory.
Conclusion:
the dog spinning ritual is a controversial practice that has been performed in some parts of the world. While it may have cultural significance for some communities, it can also be harmful to the dogs involved and is often criticized for animal cruelty. As society continues to evolve, it is important to evaluate and reconsider such traditions to ensure the ethical treatment of animals.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is dog spinning ritual real?
The dog spinning ritual, also known as “Korkuc” in Turkey, is a real tradition that is believed to ward off evil spirits and protect against misfortune. It involves spinning a dog around by its tail, and although it is not widely practiced and is considered controversial and inhumane by many, some still adhere to the ritual. Animal welfare organizations and authorities have taken measures to discourage and ban the practice.
Hi, my name is Idammah, and I am a huge animal lover! I have always had a special place in my heart for pets, especially cats. I currently have a rescue cat named Simba, who has brought so much joy and love into my life. In my free time, you can find me playing with my cats or watching some animal documentaries. When not spending time with my cat, I enjoy writing about my experiences as a pet owner and sharing helpful tips and advice with other pet lovers. I hope to connect with other pet enthusiasts and share our love for animals through this blog.
