Bakrid remains low-key affair, celebrations confined to homes

Prayagraj: The festival of Eid-ul-Zuha was a low-key affair in Sangam city on Wednesday.
Complying with the appeals of their religious leaders, Muslims of the city celebrated the festival following all Covid protocols. Not many people visited the prominent mosques of the city. They remained confined to their homes, and visited only the mosques of their respective localities. The revellers also refrained from mass celebrations.
Meanwhile, a large number of devout Muslims were seen serving the poor and needy, offering the new clothes, food and monetary help.
“My family did not perform the Qurbani this year, as few of our relatives have lost their lives to Covid. The celebrations remained subdued. There was only a family gathering at our home,” said Mohamad Fehzan of the Old City area.
Shahab Uddin, a tailor residing in Harwara area, said, “We prepared all the special Eid delicacies and distributed the same amongst the poor families who live nearby.”
Although a large number people did come out for shopping on a few days prior to Bakrid, but the roads were comparatively less crowded on the day of the festival. Only a limited number of people arrived in all major mosques of the city. By and large, people remained confined either to their homes or within their locality.
Owing to some relaxations in restrictions, families visited each other, and quite a few people were also seen in local parks, malls and restaurants.
“Some of the families did visit our restaurant. We had also made special preparations for the occasion,”said Raju Jaiswal, owner of a local restaurant in Civil Lines area.
Several Hindu families also visited their Muslim friends and celebrated the festival together. “I never miss meeting my Muslim friends on Eid and Bakrid. Although, last year, the restrictions were stricter, the festival was celebrated more freely this year as the number of Covid cases has come down,” said Gopal Srivastava, an executive from the city.
“There was no visitor on Eid this year, but on Bakrid, some of my friends did come to my place, and we had fun. I am thankful to the Almighty for this, as I did not want to be all alone on the day of the festival like last time,” said Abbas Ali, a resident of Dariyabad.