On the 1st of August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of India Ram Nath Kovind, extended greetings to the citizens of India on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.
President Ram Nath Kovind took to Twitter and said, “Eid Mubarak! Idu’l Zuha symbolises the spirit of sacrifice and amity which inspires us to work for the well-being of one and all. On this occasion, let us share our happiness with the needy and follow social distancing norms and guidelines to contain COVID-19 spread.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to social media and extended warm wishes to people.
Mr. Modi said, “Eid Mubarak! Greetings on Eid al-Adha. May this day inspire us to create a just, harmonious and inclusive society. May the spirit of brotherhood and compassion be furthered.”
This year the celebration of Eid Al Adha, also known as Bakrid is a low key affair due to the Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19.
Eid al-Adha or Bakrid is also known as an occasion of “Sacrifice Feast.” It is celebrated by sacrificing an animal, usually a sheep or a goat to prove their devotion and love for Allah.
After the sacrifice devotees distribute the offering to family, friends, neighbours and especially to the poor and the needy.
At mosques, people are following social distancing norms while offering namaz.
Mosque authorities are also conducting temperature checks before allowing devotees.
A devotee at Delhi’s Jama Masjid said, “I feel really good to be here on this occasion. Everyone followed lockdown norms and even Muslims had earlier offered namaz at their home, they followed all the rules and regulations. We are still adhering to the rules.”
In Hyderabad several people offered prayers at different mosques across the City.
This year, Eid prayers were not held at the idgah and big mosques in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Telangana State Wakf Board recently issued guidelines and advised people to observe social distancing during the prayers at the mosques.b It also asked the elderly and the children to do prayers at their homes only.
In regard to the issued guidelines, many mosques had organized multiple ‘Jamaats’ (prayer congregations) instead one to prevent the crowd while maintaining social distancing.
People avoided hugging each other and extended the Eid greetings orally and through social media platforms.
Usually as a tradition, the sacrificed meat is divided into three equal parts– one for family members, the second for relatives and rest is for the poor and needy.
However, due to the current scenario of COVID-19, many families in Hyderabad are distributing the sacrificed meat to the needy and poor.
Due to the pandemic, this year, shortage of butchers in the town led to high prices.
Available butchers in the city charged anywhere between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 1,300 for cleaning the sacrificed animal and cutting the meat. This year, a family of Hyderabad sacrificed 130 kg sheep worth Rs. 1.5 lakhs.
Police of different Indian states made elaborate security arrangements as a precautionary measures to avoid large gatherings.
States which announced partial lockdown or complete lockdown also exempt the day with the lockdown relaxations in the wake of the festival of Muslims.
Stay tuned for further updates.
