Eidul Azha: Having a moo-ing good time in the capital

Twin cities gear up to celebrate the annual festival

ISLAMABAD: With only days left for Eidul Azha, residents of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi are finalising their preparations for the annual festival by buying the sacrificial animals and colourful dresses and other eid accessories.

A large number of people, especially men and children can be seen thronging to the cattle markets looking for the right sacrificial animal at suitable prices.

On the other hand, women and children can be seen visiting traditional markets to finalise their eid preparations.

"Major excitement for most of the children is in decorating the sacrificial animals and spending maximum time with them, with a lower focus on buying dresses, shoes and other accessories," said Aisha Mushtaq, a mother.

She added that she has already bought her eid dress, shoes and matching jewellery soon after Independence Day since the markets were earlier overcrowded with Azadi sales and discounts.

"Now I will go to the store for buying grocery, especially spices for the meat-related menu for eid day and other food items," she said while talking to APP.

Asim Mumtaz, a resident of Sector G-9 Markaz said that a majority of the citizens have completed their eid shopping during the Independence Day sales to draw maximum advantage from the discounts offered.

However, he said that there were a few who had waited for the arrival of the eid collections and latest designs in the markets.

“I and my friends will buy matching jewellery, bangles and henna for this eid too. Eidul Azha is not only meant for sacrificing animals and we must prepare ourselves for getting maximum joy out of this festival," said Iqra Aziz, a young girl said.

The only disadvantage is that on this eid, most of the people do give out Eidi, she complained.

High cost of animals

Rising cost of sacrificial animals have forced many people, who wish to participate in the religious rite, to opt for alternatives such as communal sacrifice or 'Ijtamai Qurbani' being organised by various charity and religious organisations in the twin cities.

One of the reasons for the rise in the prices of sacrificial animals this year as compared to last year is the higher transportation cost and other associated expenses.

According to a survey conducted by APP, prices of bulls in category ‘C’ have increased from Rs25,000 to Rs40,000 per animal as compared to last year. The price of category ‘A’ bull has increased from Rs75,000 to Rs100,000 and onwards and the price of category ‘B’ bull has increased from Rs40,000 to Rs60,000.

The prices of goats and sheep have also increased by up to 25 per cent. The price of category ‘A’ goats and sheep has increased from Rs10,000 to Rs20,000.  Prices of goats and sheep in category ‘B’ have increased from Rs8,000 to Rs15,000 and in category ‘C’ from Rs5,000.

Despite the increased prices of sacrificial animals, a huge rush of citizens was witnessed in different animal markets on Sunday as the sale of the animals gained momentum ahead of Eidul Azha.

The sellers are demanding high prices for the animals because they have two days to wait for the customers ready to pay their desired prices.

Most animals are expected to be sold on the night before Eidul Azha as usual.

Caution advised

Doctors, meanwhile, have warned that several diseases could spread during eid, especially if people consume excessive amounts of meat.

They said that eating too much meat can cause diarrhoea, vomiting, high blood pressure and excessive uric acid production in the body.

Doctors have recommended that people should be wary of eating large amounts of meat. They suggested that people should attempt to maintain a balanced diet which consists of both meat and fruits and vegetables, amongst other things to prevent any ailments associated with eating too much meat.

Dr Sheikh Muhammad Naseem a medical officer at the British High Commission told APP that people should eat less meat.

He said that people should also take care to properly prepare and cook the meat before consuming it. He added that the meat should be frozen soon after the sacrifice to preserve its nutritional value and to avoid an infestation of germs. He said that half-frozen meat could cause diarrhoea and suggested that people cook the meat again after freezing.

He added that people suffering from blood pressure, diabetes and excessive uric acid must avoid overeating meat. He also said that people should clean their teeth after eating meat as this could help them avoid catching diseases.

Naseem said that Eidul Azha should be celebrated with special precautions about health, as excessive use of red meat, salt and chillies' could increase stomach acidity and could be dangerous for those with of regurgitation problems, stomach ulcers, diabetes, hypertension, hepatitis and liver, renal or cardiac problems.

He also warned of the spread of Congo Fever.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2018.