News Desk |
It’s that time of the year when everyone is preparing for Eid Ul Azha to remind our selves of the sacrifice the Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim A.S) was willing to make for his Lord. Almost every Muslim in the world is preparing for the festivities and in Pakistan, it is more than just the tradition. The most important aspect of the festivity is the sacrificial animal and Pakistanis from all walks of life are visiting their respective “Mandis” and making sure they have the best animal they can afford. The animal breeders take full advantage of this and thus make it into a competition of who has the best animal in the city or region and how much they are gonna sell it for.
Things to remember
Whether you buy a goat, sheep, cow, bull, buffalo, or camel there are certain things that we need to look into before you buy the animal. The things that you need to be aware of are the horns that should not be uprooted, the teeth that shouldn’t be broken, the ear that shouldn’t be cut to a certain extent, the eyesight that shouldn’t be too weak, the health in general, the animal must not be too weak or have a limp or be injured and so forth. One must always check all the boxes before buying the animal that they are going to slaughter.
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The issue really is the retailers of these animals. They want to capitalize on this event and sell as many animals as possible. They will glue teeth to animals that have lost theirs, glue their horns and ears, give their animals steroids to make them look healthier and so forth. These sellers are so stubborn that if they could they would try to sell a dead animal or an alive one.
The grand show
The animals decorated with ornaments are showcased by walking them around like a proper dog show, there are dancers dancing around the animals to grab attention, singers who sing traditional popular songs, the whole package,
A few days before the actual festivities, the favorite event for most people is the visit to their respective “Mandi” where farmer’s and breeders bring their trophy animals to show the great job they had been doing throughout the years. The event is almost as if watching a body building competition but the competitors are all on steroids.
The whole event is like a massive circus with what would seem like ordinary animals but is grand in their own way. The animals decorated with ornaments are showcased by walking them around like a proper dog show, there are dancers dancing around the animals to grab attention, singers who sing traditional popular songs, the whole package, people of all ages and from all walks of life come to witness this yearly circus and it gets bigger every year. One might argue that after a few more years the animals might be jumping through rings of fire as well.
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Eid Ul Azha is a religious festival but we have made it into a cultural one as well and though it is great to see the enthusiasm of the people, one must remember the true meaning of the festival, which is sacrifice and sharing. One must also remember the rules, regulations and should remain within the spirit of Eid and must refrain from making it into a grand show for simply showing off.