Originally Posted by
Pensive
I am not sure if it's the same in India but here the skin, horns, tails, etc of an animal like cow or a goat are painted to decorate it. A kind of their make-up. On special festivals like Eid days, henna (a reddish dye) is used to decorate them or even paint. Children also do this for their own fun. They think this makes their pets look pretty. During Eid-ul-Azha in Pakistani homes, you might be surprised to see the variety of designs made on different goats and cows' skin. :)
But if there is some other reason for this in India, I am very interested to read it! :D