Families and youngsters, on the second and third days of Eid, thronged public parks, open air spaces and hill sides to celebrate Eid with barbecue parties that filled the air with the smoked aroma of grilled food.
Barbecue parties are considered to be the perfect way to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha, as meat of different varieties is easily available to every one.
This second major festival for Muslims brings scrumptious and delicious dishes of meat for food lovers, and almost every family arranges parties with mouth watering recipes.
Youngsters arranged special barbecue parties on rooftops, green lawns and open air places as well other picnic spots, for their friends and family members.
Amin Ali, a university student, said, “Such parties not only give us an opportunity to enjoy Eid with loved-ones, but also give us a chance to taste different types of dishes made of sacrificial meat.”
“Week-long holidays along with the pleasant weather have added charm to Eid festivities as I can enjoy delicious meat dishes with my family and friends,” he said.
“I am a vegetarian, but after smelling the aroma of barbecue, I just cannot stop myself from eating meat dishes on Eid. I have a great time when all family members, relatives and friends enjoy food and gossip on Eid,” said Shumaila Nargis, enjoying at a barbecue party.
Eidul Azha comes once a year and the tradition of sharing meat with neighbours and the needy gives everyone a chance to store meat for the coming days to eat and serve guests, she said. Eidul Azha also served as a good opportunity for business for butchers and blacksmiths across the country.
On the eve of Eid, blacksmiths did lucrative business as the sale of hand-made knives and choppers went high while people rushed to get their old knives sharpened.
As Muslims sacrificed animals to perform their religious obligation, butchers remained in great demand till the third day of Eid.
The event of performing ‘Qurbani’, a Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim (AS), is a unique way of distributing meat among relatives, friends and the poor, besides enjoying scrumptious dishes of sacrificial meat.
“Finding a butcher during Eid is a difficult task so most people prefer to sacrifice animals themselves to follow the Sunnah and avoid inconvenience,” said Adnan Ahmed, a butcher at a local market.
Shareef Hussain, a blacksmith, said that knives for slaughtering animals, taking off their skin and chopping meat, were prepared days before Eid.
Other utensils used for barbecue were another income opportunity, as people arranged barbecue parties and family get-togethers till one week after Eid, he added.
During Eid days, knife sellers roamed around on bicycles to sell their products and to sharpen old knives. Besides enjoying meat dishes, health experts have asked citizens not to eat too much meat at a time as it can be harmful for their health.
