By Prarthana Mitra
On Tuesday, Muslims all over the world observed the commencement of Eid al-Adha, the sobering counterpart of Eid ul-Fitr and the second largest celebration in Islamic culture. But all prayers converged at the holy shrine of Mecca, where two million devotees congregated to chant Quranic verses for the Prophet Muhammad and concluded the five-day long haj.
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Known as the festival of sacrifice, Eid al Adha in Saudi Arabia began last evening and will continue until Sunday August 26. Having spent the previous night camped out after the visit to Mount Arafat, the pilgrims were seen marching stoically to Mina to perform Jamarat.
The festival commemorates the event where Prophet Abrahams faith was put to a divine test, and a goat was sacrificed in place of his own son. Following the Quranic parable of Muhammad and his son, thousands of Muslims have sacrificed cows and goats, following which they cook, feast and distribute the meat among the poor, needy and children.
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In India, the tone and religious fervour is not very different. Commonly referred to as Bakri-Eid here, the feast of sacrifice is taken very seriously. New clothes are exchanged, namaz offered and dargahs illuminated in cities like Srinagar, Old Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad. However, some animal-loving Muslims decided to boycott the bloodshed and slaughter of animals, decided instead to exchange cakes instead of mutton.
Braving the Islamophobia, the Muslim diaspora in the US and UK also celebrated the occasion with great flair and show, with their families and friends. A number of British football clubs released greetings of the season, with Mesut Ozil (Arsenal) and Mohammad Salah (Liverpool) taking to wish their Twitter fans a happy Eid separately. In Africa, where some zones are predominantly Muslim, Eid was celebrated with colourful processions on the stree and enervating calls for salvation.
Prarthana Mitra is a staff writer at Qrius