Bakrid

Bakrid is celebrated in the memory of Prophet Ibrahim Khalil Ulla, who preceded Prophet Mohammad. The Islamic legend says that Prophet Ibrahim was full of piety and demotion.

One night the God appeared in his dream and asked him to make a supreme sacrifice of his only nine years old son, Ismail, in "His (the God's)" name. The voice of God was final and Ibrahim took his little son, Ismail, out for a walk and putting the boy on the ground, prayed to God in agony and commenced sacrificial rite. To save himself the torture of the ghastly scene, he put a bandage on his eyes. After the due performance of the rite, the father on removing the bandage from his eyes found Ismail standing by smiling while a healthy sheep had been slaughtered in the ritual by corrected form.

 

 Since those days, sacrifice has been prescribed in on form or another. In addition to the prescribed prayer, there is a Khutba (a sermon in Arabic).

 

 On this occasion, meat preparations, specially Kabab, are served freely in the feast and special consideration is shown to the servants and the poor to share the good things of life with their masters in absolute equality.

 

 This festival of sacrifice is theologically the greater feast and is celebrated in memory of the most poignant sacrifice in religious legend, namely, slaughter of one's own son of nine, goat-wise. It is also known as Bakrid and is celebrated on three consecutive days, the first day being most popular.