The Muslims in Bangladesh are celebrating Eid-ul-Azha, one of the biggest religious festivals of the community, on Wednesday with due solemnity, sense of sacrifice and religious fervour amid the Covid pandemic for the second consecutive year.
Millions of devotees across Bangladesh offered Eid prayers at mosques in the morning seeking divine blessings, peace and progress for the country as well as getting respite from Covid infection.
The main Eid congregation in Dhaka was held at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque at around 7:00am following five more congregations till 11:00am.
The main Eid congregation in Chattogram was held at Zamiatul Falah Masque, in Khulna it was held at Town Jam’e Mosque and in Rajshahi the main congregation was held at Shah Makhdum (RH) Eidgah Moidan.
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reports that president M Abdul Hamid offered the Eid prayers along with his family members and some officials at the Hallway of the Bangabhaban in the capital city of Dhaka.
They offered Eid prayers maintaining health rules, including wearing masks and maintaining social distancing as the traditional Eid prayers in the capital’s National Eidgah Maidan was scrapped due to the pandemic Covid-19 outbreak across Bangladesh like many other world countries, the agency adds.
The celebration is going on against the backdrop of a total of 11,28,889 coronavirus cases logged until Tuesday.
The health safety guidelines imposed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, which include wearing face masks and maintaining social distance while standing in the same line to offer prayers, have been flouted in many places.
The devotees offered prayers at mosques instead of Eigahs located in open spaces.
After offering prayer at the first congregation at the National Mosque, the mayor of Dhaka South, Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, told reporters that wastes of sacrificed animals would be removed and cleaned within 24-hour and sought co-operations from the city dwellers to do the job.
After offering Eid prayers, Muslims performed the ritual of sacrificing animals.
They are distributing the meat of sacrificed animals among their relatives, friends, and the poor.
Just a day before the Eid, on Tuesday, a good number of people had left the capital city of Dhaka to celebrate the festival with their family and friends in village homes.
This caused a huge tailback on the highways from Dhaka to different northern districts of Bangladesh since the early hours of Tuesday triggering immense sufferings to the passengers on their ways during the last hour rush for Eid travels amid gross violation of health rules.
