Dushanbe Mayor Rustam Emomali has allowed the sale and slaughter of animals in the city on the eve of the Eid al-Adha, the major Muslim holiday. Under ex-Dushanbe Mayor Mahmadsaid Ubaidulloyev the slaughter of animals in the city on the eve of Eid al-Adha had been strictly banned.
By mayor’s decree the sale of sheep and goats in the city on the eve of Eid al-Adha will be organized at the slaughterhouse Yovar-11, closed joint-stock company (CJSC) Angara and the municipal veterinary center under the strict control of municipal sanitary authorities, according to the press center of the Dushanbe mayor’s office.
Rustam Emomali Rahmon ordered heads of Dushanbe’s districts to prepare temporary slaughter places. The slaughter of animals on the eve of Eid al-Adha should be done only at dedicated sites, the press center noted.
Besides, the mayor ordered to organized fairs of basic food products in the city on the occasion of Eid al-Adha from August 26 to September 5.
Eid al-Adha, “Festival of Sacrifice” or “Greater Eid,” is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to God, but instead was able to sacrifice a ram (by God's command).
Eid is also about spending time with family and friends, sacrifice, and thanksgiving for being able to afford food and housing. In traditional or agrarian settings, each family would sacrifice a domestic animal, such as a sheep, goat, cow, or camel, by slaughter (though some contemporary Muslims do not sacrifice an animal as part of their observance, it is still a very popular tradition, even in Muslim communities in Europe). The meat would then be divided into three equal parts to be distributed to others. The family eats one third, another third is given to other relatives, friends or neighbors, and the other third is given to the poor as a gift.
Eid al-Adha is the latter of two Eid festivals celebrated by Muslims. Like Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha begins with a short prayer followed by a sermon (khutbah).
