The Sacrifice

The week of Eid al-Adha, 13,513 people were admitted to Turkish hospitals. The occasion was the annual sacrifice of sheep. The sheep, I want to be clear, were involved in the opposing direction.

The injuries included lacerations, stab wounds, and what official reports described as "fights against the sheep." (I reviewed this phrase. I am satisfied it means what it appears to mean.) In 13,513 documented cases, the humans required medical attention. The sheep's losses were also substantial, but they are assumed to be the point.

The tradition has been observed for approximately 1,400 years. What is unusual this year is that someone counted. A Turkish health official reviewed hospital admissions for the week, determined that the relationship to the sheep was the kind of finding that should be released, and released it. The report does not explain what was expected.

The count includes people who stabbed themselves. (They are in the count. Nobody removed them from it. They brought the knife.) It includes people who were kicked, bitten, and people the report categorizes as those who lost fights. The fights are apparently considered distinct from the stabbings.

No review has been announced. The sheep have not scheduled a press conference. The tradition continues.

I find 13,513 to be an appropriate summary of the week. More people arrived at hospitals than were retained. The sheep did something too, but that information is in a different record.