DHAKA, June 29 (Xinhua) -- With the spirit of sacrifice, Bangladeshi Muslims celebrated Eid-al-Adha on Thursday, one of two major festivals in the South Asian country.
In the capital Dhaka and elsewhere in Bangladesh, Muslims offered special prayers seeking divine blessings, peace and prosperity in tens of thousands of congregations of Eid-al-Adha, also known as the festival of animal sacrifice.
The main congregation in Dhaka was held on Thursday morning at the national Eidgah (open ground specified for Eid prayers) where ministers, lawmakers and elite of society, among others, attended.
After prayers, Muslims in Bangladesh sacrificed animals such as sheep, goats, cows and camels in the name of Allah almighty.
Bangladeshi Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim said the demand for sacrificial animals stood at 10 million this year, while more than 12.5 million animals were available for the ritual.
Millions of Muslims and non-Muslim poor people in Bangladesh, who can not afford to buy meat even once in a year, get a chance of eating meat up to satisfaction as rich people will distribute much meat of their sacrificial animals among their poor neighbors and relatives.
Apart from this, millions of hides of sacrificial animals are donated to poor people and orphanages.
The festival is celebrated on the 10th day of the month of the lunar Islamic calendar after holy Hajj.
The Bangladeshi government declared a four-day holiday starting from Monday on this occasion. ■