The Strange Greek Orthodox Christian Custom of Sacrificing a Bull

The bull sacrifice custom, or “Kourbani,” in Madamados on the northern Aegean island of Lesbos in Greece is a deeply rooted tradition that blends religious devotion with communal celebration.

The ritual takes place annually on the Sunday of Thomas, the first Sunday after Orthodox Easter, at the Monastery of Taxiarchis (Archangel Michael), the island’s patron saint and protector.

The grand festival of Archangel Michael in Madamados

Every year on Palm Sunday, a grand festival in honor of the Archangel Michael, the patron saint of the island of Lesbos, whom islanders credit with many miracles, takes place in Madamados. The centerpiece of the celebration is the church dedicated to the Archangel Michael. It attracts crowds of believers and visitors from all over Greece and abroad, including neighboring Turkey.

Furthermore, many believers walk the 25-mile (40-km) distance from Mytilene to Madamados. They carry a torch as an act of devotion and gather to worship the unique raised ebony icon of Archangel Michael, which is unparalleled in Orthodoxy and made of unknown material.

The Kourbani ritual and its origins

According to tradition, the icon’s creator was a young monk who survived a pirate attack on the monastery by Saracen invaders. The monk had hidden on the roof, but the pirates discovered his hiding place and chased him down to the sea. However, they confronted a stormy sea that threatened to swallow them.

Frightened, they fled and left him unharmed. The monk, attributing his salvation to Archangel Michael, collected soil soaked with the blood of the monks murdered and created the icon.

This local custom traces its roots to ancient times, far beyond the two-thousand-year-old Christian tradition. In fact, ethnographers believe this custom to be of ancient origins. Nikolaos Politis links bull sacrifices to pagan sacrificial rituals that Christian customs later incorporated.

The ancient Greeks carried out bull sacrifices since the Minoan period. Over time, the custom evolved into a religious offering to Archangel Michael. Locals would honor his role as a protector and express gratitude for his miracles.

The “Kourbani”  key steps

The community chooses a healthy bull. A family often donates it as a vow or expression of gratitude. On the morning of the feast, the family leads the bull in a solemn procession to the monastery, and the villagers accompany it, singing hymns and traditional music.

The animal is sacrificed in the monastery courtyard, and prayers are offered during the process as the faithful seek blessings and protection from Archangel Michael. Villagers cook the meat of the bull into a traditional stew and often flavor it with wheat and spices. The meal is then shared among the gathered community. It is a communal meal seen as an act of unity.

The custom of the bull sacrifice holds deep religious significance for the people of Lesbos. The bull sacrifice in Madamados of Lesbos is not merely an offering but a communal act of faith, gratitude, and devotion. The communal sharing of the meal strengthens bonds among participants and reinforces a sense of collective identity.

Modern changes to the tradition

Until relatively recently, on the eve of the feast of the Myroforos, islanders slaughtered a bull in the courtyard of the church, along with other animals, mainly lambs, offered by the faithful for the so-called “kishkeki,” the traditional “food of the saint.” This dish, made of broken wheat, meat, and chickpeas, is offered to pilgrims after the Divine Liturgy the following day. The faithful preserve the bull’s blood as a talisman.

Since 2015, the practice of bull sacrificing has been banned following the intervention of animal welfare organizations. The Directorate of Veterinary Medicine of the Northern Aegean Region, by order of the Mytilini District Attorney’s Office, does not allow the church to perform the ritual. This is so as to ensure compliance with health regulations regarding the slaughter of animals exclusively in slaughterhouses. Furthermore, animal protection laws prohibit the use of animals for cultural and similar purposes.

As a result, the bull is now sacrificed at a slaughterhouse where it is butchered. It is then moved to the churchyard where it is cooked in huge cauldrons, as per tradition. The faithful offer smaller animals, such as lambs and goats, to the Archangel Michael, which they auction and sell to farmers.