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“Festival of the Sacrifice” sees hundreds enjoy the spirit of community
This year, and like every other year, Muslims yesterday celebrated Eid ul-Adha, the “Festival of the Sacrifice”.
Scenes at the Muslim Youth Organization in Thomas Lands yesterday
Eid ul-Adha commemorates Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son to obey Allah or God’s command. However, his devotion is rewarded, as instead God gave Ibrahim a lamb to be sacrificed. In honour of this, Muslims may choose to sacrifice an animal such as a lamb or cow as part of the festival.
The festive day began with early-morning prayers. At around 7:00 a.m., hundreds gathered at the Muslim Youth Organization (MYO) in Thomas Lands, where the scarifying of the animals commenced.
When Kaieteur News visited the MYO yesterday, scores of people – of different races, colours, religions and ages, gathered to receive their portions of meat.
Aleem Hussain, one of the MYO representatives expressed that, “I think the important part to understand that is not about killing the bull but about people coming together as a community. On a day like today there is no colour, there is no race – it doesn’t matter. And I think that this is an example of the way that Guyana should be overall. Every time we have a religious get-together, whether it’s Muslim, Hindu or with the Christians, everyone in Guyana comes together.”
Hussain further explained that in some masjids across Guyana only 20- 50 bulls are sacrificed, but due to the fact that the MYO is much larger, close to 200 bulls are sacrificed yearly.
“No one keeps all of the meat. Actually we only keep one-third of the meat, and the rest is distributed throughout the community,” he noted.
When questioned about whether there was an increase in persons collecting their share of meat, Hussain replied, “I think that you would find that the economic conditions of Guyana are different this year. So we have seen that more people are asking for help. It is a time for unity and celebration, and sharing. It’s about showing that no matter how much you have, you should always turn around and give. Most of what you have, if you give it away then you’re eventually going to have in the end – and I think that’s what Eid is all about.”
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