Aidiladha Through The Global Lens

Here in Tanah Airku, Muslims are more than ever giddy to celebrate Aidiladha (the Feast of Sacrifice) as we’re all seeing it as the Hari Raya that we had to forsake this year. Everyone finally get to flaunt their Baju Raya that had to be put into hiding while we were in movement control order.

All the long overdue meets up and celebration with families are finally happening! *tears of joy*

But! And it’s a big BUT.

Please mind your distance with everyone especially the elderly. Even though they are the most elated to meet everyone, they are also the most at risk to contract the virus so no hugging hugging, kissing kissing ah.

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Also, since Aidiladha (also known as Hari Raya Qurban) is all about sacrificing, this will be our biggest sacrifice this year- minimising the festivities for the sake of our loved ones. So not being able to entertain too many guests does give you a lot of time on your hands huh? Don’t worry, we’re here to roll out a little compilation of the different ways of how other people from all over the world celebrate Aidiladha in their own culture and traditions to cure your boredom and curiosity.

Ready? Let’s go!

1. Korea

In Korea, Muslims from many different nations, including Arabs and Persians, as well as people from Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Africa or elsewhere, will be gathering at the Seoul Central Masjid, which hosts the biggest service in the country. The sacrificial ritual will have to adhere to Korea’s Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act; therefore, the Korea Muslim Federation are not allowed to perform an actual animal sacrifice on-site. To compensate, they offer bread and milk to those who came to the mosque in Itaewon.

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Many Muslims visit nearby halal restaurants with their friends and family after the service, to follow the tradition of having a delicious lamb meal on that day.

2. America

United States does not recognise Aidiladha as a public holiday however, some Islamic organisations may be closed or reduce their level of service and local mosques will experience some traffic congestion. In New York City on the contrary, the day is considered a holiday for public schools.

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Many Muslims in the United States celebrate Aidiladha with prayers and social gatherings. It is also a time to celebrate the different heritages, including Pakistan, as well as Eastern European and African countries, by wearing traditional clothes and sharing their national dishes. Like elsewhere in the world, it is a time for prayer, sharing meals, handing out gifts and wishing good health to one another.

3. United Kingdom

Muslims in the UK usually will begin the day by performing “Ghusl”, a full-body purification ritual followed with dressing in their finest outfits and head to the local mosque for a prayer service. Afterward, it is customary to wish one another Eid Mubarak, which translates as “have a blessed Eid,”.

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They also make it as a tradition to give gifts to children and visit friends and relatives. Unlike in Malaysia where the sacrifice can be performed in local mosques, British law additionally mandates that the animal must be killed in an official slaughterhouse.

The meat is then divided between family, friends, and the poor. In the UK, Aidiladha is known as the “Salty Eid” as opposed to the “Sweet Eid” for Hari Raya as Aidiladha is associated with meat offerings. Common dishes during the occasion includes Kebab, Haleem (a stew usually made from meat, wheat, and lentils) and Biryani.

4. Bangladesh

In Bangladesh Aidiladha is known as "Kurbanir Eid" or "Bakri Eid". Unlike the celebrations here in Malaysia, they celebrate the occasion massively with preparations underway a month in prior. Local sweet shops, gift centres and cloth stores will be preparing themselves for the millions of customers across the country.

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This is generally our Hari Raya TBH. The sacrificed animal during Aidiladha will be referred to as "Qurbani" in the region. The animals chosen to be slaughtered must be of a particular age and should not have any impairment, or the sacrifice is to be considered an imperfect one. The time of sacrifice begins right after the prayer of the first day of Aidiladha and continues up to the dawn of the next two or three days.

5. Egypt

Egyptians rise up early and head to their local mosques for their prayer and sermon. After the prayers, colourful balloons will be released from above the congregation to mark the celebration.

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A typical greeting that is used by the locals when they meet friends and familiar faces is "Kol Sana Wa Inta Tayeb" which means "I hope every year finds you well".

Aww isn’t that sweet.

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Underprivileged people especially really look forward to this celebration as this is the time that they would be able to eat beef and mutton that will be distributed to them freely. The dish that is typically served on this day is meat cubes or stir-fried liver eaten with Fatta, which is rice toasted with tomato sauce and bread chips.

6. Morocco

The Moroccan refers to Aidiladha as ''Eid el-Kbir'. Generally similar to other Aidiladha celebrations all over the world, animal sacrifices such as cows, sheeps or ram will be slaughtered as a dedication to the Lord with its meat distributed to poor people.

Mosques will be visited during these festive days for prayer services and sermons followed by visits and relish festive meals together. Unlike here in Malaysia, we celebrate generally in a day, Aidiladha in Morocco is celebrated as a three-day festival.

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While we’ve been given the green light to cross states and balik kampung, the dangers of the pandemic still lingers, so ya’ll better be cautious about crowded spaces and personal hygiene, wouldn't want 3^rd wave of the pandemic right??

Any-hoo! All of us at Hello Central would like to wish everyone a joyous Hari Raya Aidiladha! Enjoy the long holiday safely with your loved ones! Speaking about holidays, don’t miss out on this hilarious episode of Surely Malaysian: Public Holidays with comedian, Keren Bala.

Sources: Theholidayspot.com, Ask Aladdin, Timeanddate.com, Korea.net