A Vietnamese village has held a toned-down version of its annual pig slaughter ritual, according to state media.
The annual ritual slaughter of two pigs has historically been held in northern Bac Ninh province's Nem Thuong village on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, but the government ordered a nationwide ban on such killings in December 2015 following criticism from animal welfare organisations.
In prior years, pigs were held down with ropes and sliced in half across the belly or decapitated as part of the celebrations. Residents then dipped money in the blood for good luck.
This year, however, the pigs were killed inside a closed tent in a manner similar to normal slaughter following a parade, according to the Vnexpress news site.
The pigs were bathed and dyed red prior to their killing in Nem Thuong. They were paraded for three kilometres, with onlookers feeding the pigs cookies and water.
As per tradition, the resulting pork was distributed to attendees.
This is the second year in a row that the village has held a less cruel version of the ceremony.
The ritual dates back to the 13th Century's Ly Dynasty.
Australian Associated Press
