Bakra Eid 2020: Maharashtra Govt Urges People To Celebrate In Simple Manner; Check Guidelines Here

Animals for the purpose of sacrifice on Bakra Eid should be bought online or over the phone as markets dealing it will remain closed.

(File Photo/ Getty)

Mumbai: Maharashtra government on Friday urged the residents to celebrate the upcoming Bakri Eid festival in a simple manner due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The state government also issued certain guidelines for carrying out the festive celebrations.  Bakra Eid, also called the 'Festival of the Sacrifice', fall on July 31 this year and is the second of two Islamic holidays celebrated worldwide each year. It honours the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God's command. Each year, an animal, usually a sheep, is sacrificed ritually and divided into three parts. One share is given to the poor and needy, another is kept for home, and the third is given to relatives. However, keeping in mind the the surging numbers of Coronavirus cases in the state, Maharashtra government has urged the citizens to take all the precautions and follow the guidelines in order to contain the spread of the virus. According to the reports, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and other ministers met earlier this week and discussed various measures and guidelines for people during the festival that falls later this month. Going by the issued advisory, the state government said that the ban on all the religious programmes continues and so, the people must offer Namaz in their homes, and not in mosques. It further said that animals for the purpose of sacrifice should be bought online or over the phone this time as markets dealing with them will remain closed. The government also urged the people to keep the 'qurbani' sacrifice be symbolic and maintain decorum. Moreover, there will will no relaxation in restrictions for Eid in containment zones, and people are directed not to congregate in public places on the day of the festival.