Animal sacrifice is an ancient tradition that continues to be practiced today. The most high profile example is Islam of which animal sacrifice is an integral component. The Islamic equivalents of Christmas are two Eids known as Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha. Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan (fasting) while Eid-ul-Azha comes at the end of the pilgrimage (Haj) and is marked by animal sacrifice. According to Islamic tradition, Abraham successfully passed the God’s exam by offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Thus, the purpose of animal sacrifice on Eid-ul-Azha is to honor Abraham’s sacrifice and keep its memory alive. In addition to annual tradition of animal sacrifice on Eid-ul-Azha, Muslims also sacrifice animals to celebrate other religious festivals as well as important events in life such as the birth of their children, death anniversaries of their loved ones, and the birthday of Muhammad, the founder of Islam. The animals most associated with the image of animal sacrifice in Islam are goat and sheep.

Another religion of whom sacrifice is an integral part is Santeria. Santeria is an Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba beliefs and traditions with some Roman Catholic elements. The religion grew out of the slave trade in Cuba. Animal sacrifice is central to Santeria. Followers of Orisha (a Santerian deity) sacrifice animals to build and maintain a personal relationship with the spirit. Like Islam, sacrifices are performed for important life events such as birth, marriage, and death (BBC). Similarly, the concept of animal sacrifice is also found in Hinduism. The world’s biggest animal sacrifice event is held every five years in honor of Gadhimai, a Hindu goddess of power. As part of the event, more than 10,000 buffalos were sacrificed in the main event in the Nepalese village of Bariyapur near the Indian border in November 2009. The main fair officially opened with the sacrifice of two rats, two pigeons, a pig, a lamb and a rooster in the main temple. Overall, more than 250,000 animals were sacrificed in the 2009 Hindu festival of Gadhimai (Lang).

Candomble is another religion that puts a great emphasis on sacrifice. The religion is primarily practiced in South America and is believed to be inspired by older African religions. A Brazilian research team reported that it met priests and priestesses who claimed to have sacrificed a total of 29 animal species during the sacrificial rituals. Candomble is similar to Santeria in the sense that it also worships the deity called Orisha. In Candomble, it is believed that some essence of the sacrificed animal feeds Orisha who in turn attends to the believers’ requests and desires. The unusual fact about the Candomble is that they also sacrifice plants (Science 2.0).

Another religion that often draws controversy is Voodoo which is the dominant religion of Haiti. Nearly every Voodoo service has animal sacrifice. In Voodoo, lwa are the various spirits of the family members and represent all the major forces of the universe such as good, evil, health, and other aspects of life. By sacrificing animals, one releases life. Lwa receive the released life forces and are rejuvenated (Corbett).  Animal sacrifice may not be as prevalent as it once was but it continues to survive as an element of various religious traditions.