Eid-ul-Azha, one of Islam`s two greatest festivals, was celebrated across the country with due fervor and piety on Saturday.
Muslims sacrificed cattle and other beasts of burden commemorating the Prophet Ibrahim`s willingness to sacrifice his own son as a sign of his devotion to God.
Millions of Muslims across the country offered prayers seeking divine blessings, peace and progress for the country. The main national congregation of Eid-ul-Azha was held at the National Eidgah at 8am, where President Abdul Hamid offered his Eid prayers along with hundreds of people from all walks of life.
Cabinet members, judges of the Supreme Court, members of parliament, senior political leaders and high civil and military officials also offered their prayers at the main Eid jamaat (congregation).
Five Eid congregations were held at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque at 7am, 8am, 9am, 10am and 10:45am.
The main city streets and road islands had been decorated with the national flags and banners inscribed with ‘Eid Mubarak’ in Bangla and Arabic.
Special meals were served in hospitals, jails, government orphanages, centres for persons with disabilities, shelter homes and vagrant and destitute welfare centres.
State-run Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and private TV channels aired special programmes on the occasion.
Floods temper celebrations
While wishing countrymen on the occasion, President Abdul Hamid urged the affluent section of society to stand beside the country’s flood victims along with the government.
“The affluent people should keep in mind that no flood victim should be deprived of Eid happiness,“ he said during a special Eid reception at Bangabhaban.
The President said the rich or wealthy people should share the Eid joy with the people of the haors and other areas, who were the worst victims of the recent flashfloods and are unable to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha right now.
Hoping that the Qurbani Eid, as Eid ul Adha is known colloquially, and its sacrificial attitude should reflect the great principles and teachings of Eid-ul-Azha in social and individual life, Hamid wished all a happy and prosperous Eid-ul-Azha.
President Hamid and his wife Rashida Khanom hosted the reception for the top government officials, city elite and foreign diplomats.
Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, Foreign Minister AHM Mahmood Ali, adviser to the Prime Minister HT Imam, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AKM Nurul Huda attended the reception.
Judges of the Supreme Court, members of parliament, the chiefs of the three services, editors, secretaries, vice-chancellors of different universities, educationists, recipients of national awards, senior journalists, writers, poets, litterateurs, business leaders, religious personalities, artistes and, high civil and military officials also attended, apart from ambassadors and high commissioners of different countries in Bangladesh and chiefs of international agencies.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina meanwhile called upon all to work tirelessly from their respective positions to take Bangladesh to a dignified position on the global stage.
“We all need to perform our own duties keeping in mind our motherland to establish it in a dignified position in the world,“ she said.
The Prime Minister said this while speaking to the media as she exchanged greetings with people from all walks of life, party leaders and activists, judges and foreign diplomats at her official residence Ganobhaban on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha.
The Prime Minister greeted the country’s people and all the Bangladeshis living abroad on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha, wishing them a happy and prosperous life. She also greeted those Bangladeshi nationals now in Saudi Arabia to perform the hajj, or pilgrimage to Mekkah.
Hasina, also the Awami League chief, first exchanged Eid greetings with a cross-section of people, professionals, party leaders and workers.
Bangabandhu`s youngest daughter Sheikh Rehana, PM’s daughter Saima Hossain, Awami League presidium members Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Faruk Khan and senior party leaders were present.
Later, she exchanged Eid greetings with Supreme Court judges, including Chief Justice S. K. Sinha, and heads of diplomatic missions of different countries in Dhaka.
Besides Chief Justice Sinha, judges of the Appellate Division and the High Court Division of the Supreme Court, Ambassadors and High Commissioners of different countries joined the function.
Sholakia upstaged by Dinajpur
In Kishoreganj, the historic Sholakia Eidgah of Kishoreganj, famed for attracting the largest congregation in the country (upwards of 125,000 or 1.25 lakh, hence the name) hosted its 190th Eid-ul-Azha congregation, under three layers of security following a daring terrorist attack that shook the congregation last year.
Imam of the Markaz Mosque of the city, Hafez Mawlana Hefzur Rahman conducted the Eid jamaat.
Politicians, administration officers, chairman, mayor and people of all walk participated in this congregation.
Sholakia may have been upstaged as the largest Eid congregation in the country this year though, by the Gore Shahid Bara Maidan in Dinajpur, which was joined by 300,000 (3 lakh) of the faithful, according to Whip of Jatiya Sangsad Iqbalur Rahim.
Chairman of International Crime Tribunal-1 Justice Enayetur Rahim, and Deputy Commissioner Mir Khairul Alam could testify, as they joined the congregation held at 8am.
In Chittagong, the main Eid jamaat was held at Jamiatul Falah national eidgah in the city at 8am.
In Khulna, the main Eid congregation was held at Khulna Circuit House Eidgah Maidan at 8am.
In Rajshahi, the main congregation was held at Hazrat Shah Mukhdum Central Eidgah of the city at 8am.
In Sylhet, the main Jammat of of Eid-ul-Azha was held at Shahi Eidgah at 8:30 am where Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith among others joined in.
In Barisal, the main congregation of Eid-ul-Azha was held at Central Hemayet Uddin Eidgah Maidan at 8am. –UNB, Dhaka.
