Yeah, it's an option. It can be a bit of a hassle though. Thankfully at the slaughterhouses they have butchers who can sort the whole thing out for you if you can't hack it (pardon the pun) with slaughtering, draining, gutting, etc.
For me though, dealing with the crowds is the worst part. People are crammed together like frickin' sardines. Each year a fight breaks out and I take it upon myself to break it up, in the spirit of peace and the reverence of this holy day. God knows my patience is running thin with these people though.
As Pug said, a lot of places do it improperly. I raised a big deal a couple of years back about the slaughterhouses that were executing livestock right in front of other animals! Occasionally even with blunt knives! Fucking assholes were torturing the poor animals. The proper way to do it is to isolate the chosen animal, pray in the name of God, then slit its carotid in one swift brush of the knife. It shouldn't take more than a single slash; any more and you're committing an atrocity.
It's supposed to be private. Parents especially make sure the children don't get too close. That's how it "supposed" to be anyway.
The idea is to slaughter some livestock to feed the hungry; take one portion for your family and donate the rest to charity.
I'd like to give thanks for everything I have and everything I don't, for the patience I was granted in times of anger, and for the mercy I was shown for my misdeeds.
I would also like to add that I am thankful for Dragon Age Origins.. I am hooked.
What's everyone thankful for?
