Celebrating Eid-ul-Azha
Sheikh Iraj
Once again, its that time of the year when Eid-ul-Azha is knocking at the door. Popularly called Qurbani Eid (feast of sacrifice) in our country, the festival reminds Muslims about the devotion of Prophet Ibrahim, who was willing to sacrifice his son, Ismail, at Allahs command. Pleased with Ibrahims faith, the Almighty sent him a ram to slaughter instead. To commemorate the event, Muslims around the world sacrifice domestic animals, like sheep, goat, cow or camel, and share the meat with family, friends and the underprivileged.
Eid is more than a week away, but the whole country is already in a festive mode, ready to observe the day with their near and dear ones, and share their good fortune with those less fortunate. This week, YI spoke with some youths about their plans for the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha holidays.
Akib Hassan, 19, a student of, University of London International Programme, said: Like any other festival, Eid-ul-Azha is responsible for bringing families closer. Through the chaos and rumble of everyday life, I always make time to be with my family every Eid. This Eid will not be an exception. Normally, the first half of my Eid day is spent overseeing and helping with the sacrifice. The second half is for mingling and socialising. This is one time when we step out of the materialised digital world and indulge in good old-fashioned meet-and-greet with family and friends.
For Touhid Ahmed, a 20-year-old student, this Eid will be a bit different to others. I just finished my HSC exams and now, I have to prepare for my university admission test. So this Eid, I will be busy studying. Of course, I will participate in the Eid prayers in the morning, and whatever free time I get, I will try to spend it with my family and friends, Ahmed said.
As many parts of the country are now reeling under floodwaters, some young people plan to spend their Eid holiday distributing relief among flood victims.
Tania Afroz, 26, a Masters student at Jagannath University, along with her husband and friends, plans to provide relief goods to the flooded-affected people in her home district of Rajbari during the Eid vacation. We started thinking of doing something when we came to know about the floods in the northern part of our country. My home district has also been affected; about 28,000 people are suffering from floods at Goalando upazila. But we have some limitations. So, we called our friends and relatives to arrange a relief programme. My husband, Hassan Ali, who is a college teacher, and my friend, Shamim Hassan, a student of Dhaka College, along with others created a Facebook event page and started collecting funds. We have got huge response so far. We are planning to make relief packages, which will include water purifying tablets, oral saline packets, dry foods, puffed rice, rice and if possible, we will add potatoes and other essentials, said Afroz.
Many young people visit cattle markets with their elders or with friends to select animals that will be sacrificed. Visiting a cattle haat can be quite an experience. It is not that people only look to buy for themselves, watching others bargain with the vendors is quite interesting.
Eid means happiness and joy, clearly I am planning to have some fun and enjoy the day. I will go to the haat (market) and buy a cow of my choice. I live in Dhanmondi with my family and I am planning to buy the cow from Gabtoli cattle market. Eid is all about sharing the joy with others. I will try to help some poor people in my area by distributing the meat among them, said Arif Hosain, 27, who works as a software engineer at Anwar Khan Group.
Shakhawat Munna, 30, assistant marketing manager of Ajinomoto Bangladesh Ltd, said: Normally, I spend Eid-ul-Azha with my family in my village. This year, its going to be a bit different. My wife and I are excepting our first child. That is why we are going to spend this Eid in Dhaka. To be honest, I like visiting different cattle markets. I love to see people bargaining over the price of the animals. Sometimes, I see people dragging the animals they have bought for miles. I personally do not like that. I think if one has the money to buy a cow, for say Tk70,000, then one can easily make arrangement to have the animal delivered on a vehicle.
Travelling around the city during Eid can be extremely fun. The roads are usually empty. Many opt to roam the city in rickshaws. Many travel to their hometowns or villages. Some even go on different tours. On the other hand, some people come to the city to look for work and earn extra money, and many stay behind due to different reasons.
Sheikh Afikul Haque, 22, a student of Dhaka University, shared: For most of my life, Eid-ul-Azha has been the same for me. After the performance of all rituals, I usually visit my relatives with my family and meet my friends in the afternoon. Eating out at restaurants and chatting with friends were some of the common things I did almost every Eid. But now, I find nothing refreshing in that. Thats why I have decided to make this Eid special.
Just after all the religious rituals are completed, I shall move closer to nature. I have decided to visit Louhajang in Bikrampur. Its not too far from Dhaka. The beauty of green nature and the tranquility surrounding it will boost my mind. I am also planning to take some of my friends along. As a city resident, I feel we all are very busy. We have too much pressure at work and a rush to meet up with relatives during vacations. But this time, I hope its going to be different. I believe nature has healing powers, at least enough power to put aside all our disappointments, tension and leave us calm as itself. I hope this Eid plan will give us a chance to be grateful to Allah and thankful for his benevolent creations, Haque added.
Samin Yasar, 20, a student, also has a different plan for Eid: I am going to start a diet days before Qurbani Eid. During this Eid, we all tend to eat a lot more. That being said, it is the most fun time of the year. I will also roam around the city on my new motorbike, the very thought of having the streets of Dhaka empty is heaven!
Mahmudul Hasan, 29, a lecturer at Adamjee Cantonment College, said: One of the great things about Eid is that we get to spend more time with our family and friends. I normally do not get long vacations, except during Eid. I recently got married, so my wife and I have decided to travel to Bangkok (Thailand) and spend our Eid holiday there. This is the first time for us to go abroad together. I believe its going to be fun. We asked our parents to come with us, but they prefer to spend Eid in Dhaka.
Subah Samara, 26, a lecturer at Daffodil International University, said: Priorities change as we go through different phases of our life. In my worst nightmare, I could never imagine something worse than celebrating Eid without my family. But yes, at times, life gets harsh. This Eid-ul-Azha, I will be here in the city, hundreds of miles away from my relatives.
I want to be the best in my field and therefore, I feel the need to pursue higher studies at one of the top universities in the world. As a part of that process, I am preparing myself for GRE, TOEFL and IELTS exams. All these exams are around the corner, and the admission process of the universities starts within the next few months. So, I have decided to use my Eid vacation to study hard for the upcoming exams. I know I am ruining my Eid vacation, but I have no other option. The worst part is that because of me, my parents are also staying in Dhaka. They will also have a boring Eid since all our relatives will be in our hometown. But that is the harsh reality of life. Now, the only thing I can pray for is that my hard work and sacrifices pay off, Samara added.
Bipul K Debnath contributed
to this report.
Photos: File
