Bhubaneswar: The holy Islamic festival of sacrifice, Bakr-Id or Eid al-Adha is celebrated to mark the completion of the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia and is considered to be holier than Eid ul-Fitr. The festival commemorates the faith of Prophet Ibrahim when he agreed to sacrifice his son upon the order by God.
Prophet Ibrahim was ready to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God’s command. But, before Ibrahim could sacrifice his son, God provided a lamb to sacrifice instead. Thus, the day is commemorated by slaughtering domestic animals, such as goat, sheep, lamb, buffalo and so on. This meat is divided into three parts. While the first is eaten by the family, the second is distributed amongst relatives and the third part is given to the poor and needy.
Bakr-Id is celebrated all over Odisha with much zeal and gusto as it is in the rest of the Islamic world. In Cuttack and Kendrapara, Muslim brothers gathered in mosques in huge numbers and hugged each other with the greeting of ‘Eid Mubarak’.
This holy festival is celebrated on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijjah (twelfth and last month) of the Hijri calendar followed by the Muslims. The celebrations are spread across three days from the 10th to the 12th day. These celebrations begin after the completion of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage performed by Muslims in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Hajj serves as one of the five pillars of Islam. This means, a Muslim has to perform Hajj at least once during their lifetime, unless they are debarred due to lack of finances or ill-health. The feast is also referred to as Id-ul-Azha or Id-ul-Zuha.