As Orthodox Easter fast approaches, Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis has taken a stance against the annual custom of roasting a lamb on the spit as “barbaric”.
“Easter is coming again. The days of the massacre of innocent animals are approaching for the sake of a barbaric [feast] that ought to have vanished long ago,” Theodorakis wrote on his blog.
The statement was written as part of a post on animal cruelty, after a video emerged online of two Greek soldiers from Epirus abusing a dog.
“Everyday we are reading more and more cases of animal abuse, horrendous incidents that ‘normally’ would never happen but we see the acts are committed by people and – many times – by young people,” he wrote.
“What does this say about our society? What else other than general decay in all aspects!”
The 93-year-old is an outspoken figure in Greece, who has been known to champion left-wing ideas and policies.
The tradition of eating lamb at Easter is a custom that has its roots in the Bible. The sacrificing of a lamb was common and referred to as a ‘guilt offering’ to God, as by doing so people believed that they were offered restitution for the sins they committed.
With Easter marking Jesus’ sacrifice for humankind, lamb is eaten to remember his selfless act.
