Kathmandu, September 2

People from the Muslim community will celebrate Bakra-Eid, one of the biggest festivals of Muslims, by exchanging greetings and offering prayers at mosques tomorrow.

This festival is also called Eid-al-Adha and commemorates the readiness of Abraham to sacrifice his son to honour his God’s command. It falls on the 70th day after Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

On this day, Muslims visit mosques and madrasas and offer prayers to Allah, recite Namaj and exchange greetings. They also observe a stringent dawn-to-dusk Roja (fast). The government has declared public holiday for tomorrow to celebrate the festival during which Muslims sacrifice goats, camels and buffaloes to Allah. The sacrificed animal is divided into three parts; for the needy, neighbours and the family.

The festival coincides with the Haj pilgrimage in Mecca and is celebrated for three days. Meanwhile, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and Vice-president Nanda Bahadur Pun have wished ‘Nepali Muslims sisters and brothers living at home and abroad’ happiness, peace, prosperity and good health.

In her message, President Bhandari said, “Such festivals have contributed to maintaining national unity, religious tolerance and mutual harmony.”