Large turnout for Eid celebrations

Prayers were held at mosques across Australia, the subcontinent and the world as Muslims celebrated Eid al Adha (Bakrid) on November 16. The day coincides with the climax of the Hajj, the yearly pilgrimage which Muslims are obliged to undertake at least once in their lifetime. As up to four million hajjis (pilgrims) descended on Makkah in Saudi Arabia, families in Australia, India and the wider subcontinent marked the occasion with families and friends

As it is a time to spend with loved ones, for many South Asian Muslims in Australia, Eid is the time when they miss their families the most. Attending Eid prayers at the mosque of the United Muslim Migrants Association of Victoria (UMMA) in the Melbourne suburb of Doncaster, students and other expatriates said they were looking forward to later in the day, when they could speak with their families on the subcontinent and exchange Eid greetings. Pakistani student Yousuf Atta explained that while he misses his family on such occasions, he was impressed by the celebrations organised by the Muslim community. “It’s nice to see everyone here together – there are so many Indians and Pakistanis, a couple of Bangladeshis,” he said. An estimated gathering of over 400 people attended the service, filling the prayer hall, the community hall and spilling out on the car park where organisers hastily laid down plastic sheeting in place of prayer mats.

The UMMA mosque prayers attracted Muslims from various backgrounds, including Arab, Iranian, Turkish, Southeast Asian and Anglo-Australian. However the largest ethnic representation at the mosque was of South Asians – up to half were from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, with a handful of Fijians, Sri Lankans and Maldivians. This ethnic mix is in stark contrast to Eid celebrations as recently as just one decade ago, when the large proportion of mosque-goers in Australia were of Middle Eastern background, a testament to the growing population of desis in Australia. This influence is to be seen at certain mosques, where the khutbah (sermon) is now often delivered in Urdu as well as English or Arabic.

The prayers were followed by a community breakfast provided by volunteers at the centre. Delicious helpings of kheer (rice pudding) and other Eid specialties were served, as the faithful filed out of the crowded building. The Hyderabadi contingent particularly enjoyed the sheer korma, native to that South Indian city, although none could match ammi’s recipe! Surrounding streets were abuzz with Muslims heading to their next ports of call; in most cases, a celebratory brunch with extended family or friends. This scene was repeated in Muslim hubs across Australia, including Fawkner and Clayton in Melbourne, Auburn and Rockdale in Sydney and Thornlie in Perth. However the largest Australian Eid celebrations by far were seen in the Sydney suburb of Lakemba, where thousands of worshippers packed the Islamic centre and police closed a section of Wangee Road to accommodate the overflow.

Bakrid was a national public holiday in India on November 17 this year. Massive celebrations were held in the large Muslim centres of Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi. Even larger celebrations were held in India’s Muslim neighbours, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Maldives, where Eid al Adha is one of the biggest dates on the national calendars. The holiday is also recognised in Sri Lanka, home to a significant Muslim community. Recent years have seen Eid fall in the latter part of the year, coinciding with the festival season in India which also features Diwali, Christmas, Ramazan and Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthdays.

Traditionally called Eid al-Adha (Arabic for ‘festival of sacrifice’), it celebrates the Muslim prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his own son, Ishmael, for the sake of Allah (God). Allah intervened and offered a goat to be sacrificed instead of a human, but Ibrahim’s spiritual devotion was noted, and is hence marked on this day. Due to this, Eid al Adha is also known in Hindi/Urdu as Bakri Id or Bakrid, literally ‘goat festival’. Hindi and Urdu speakers would also recognise ‘Eyde Ghorban’, the Persian name for ‘festival of sacrifice’, which also exists in the languages of the subcontinent. Traditionally, on Eid, a goat or a sheep would be sacrificed and the meat divided between family and the needy, although these customs are declining in urbanised areas. Most Australian Muslims and increasing numbers of urban Muslims around the world opt for a charity donation in place of an actual sacrifice.

Eid takes place on the tenth day of the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar year, Dhu al Hijja The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, so like the moon’s cycle, it is approximately 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar. This means that the dates of Islamic festivals jump back approximately 11 days each year. The hajj will conclude in Saudi Arabia in the next few days, whereupon the throngs of pilgrims will return to their respective nations with stories to tell for a lifetime.