Gaza Citizens Celebrate Eid Al-Adha Amid Israeli Blockade
Gaza, MINA – In the month of Dzulhijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar, some 6,000 Palestinians performed the haj (holy pilgrimage) this year, including about 3,000 from the Gaza Strip, according to the Ministry of Endowments.
On the tenth day of the month, Eid al-Adha is celebrated by Muslims around the world as a reward for their various acts of worship during the first nine days of Dzulhijjah, as quoted from Palinfo.
Eid al-Adha is a four-day period of celebration, marked by prayer, celebration and gift giving. The Eid al-Adha sacrifice is considered the most important celebration on this occasion.
Despite the rising unemployment Gaza has witnessed, Eid al-Adha remains an exception. Open markets and imports increase as families try in every way to rejoice and please their children.
Most families in Gaza divide the cost of sacrificial animals for Eid al-Adha into three or four payments, while others pay in groups, which is more affordable.
The atmosphere of Eid al-Adha celebrations was created on the day before Eid al-Adha when residents flocked to farms to transport sacrificial animals to their homes, using private cars and trucks. This is an opportunity for children to gather, take pictures, and recite takbir together.
Eid al-Adha is generally seen by Gazans as an opportunity to care for poor and needy families, especially those who cannot afford meat. Families who can afford the sacrifice on Eid al-Adha eat about a third of the meat, a third for friends and relatives, and the remaining third donated to the poor, as a form of solidarity and brotherhood.
Meanwhile, charities are buying cattle in bulk to distribute meat from the Eid al-Adha sacrifices to families in various regions, aiming to alleviate their suffering in the Israeli-siege enclave.
“A trader among my acquaintances told me that the majority of the livestock he sold this year was bought by charities,” Abu Aziz al-Shawwa who works at a butcher shop in Gaza told PIC shortly before Eid.
Al-Shawwa underlined, although the financial crisis in Gaza is getting worse, traders and farmers are grateful for the arrival of the Eid al-Adha season which makes their business grow a little.
Although parties are the most prominent way to celebrate Adha, Eid decorations are still an important part of celebrating this blessed occasion. People in Gaza prefer to decorate their homes with different objects that reflect the idea of sacrifice.
PIC spoke to Balsam Fouda who sells his handmade crochet crafts online. He said, his clients increase in number during the Eid al-Adha season.
“I just created an Instagram profile last year and since then my business has grown,” said Balsam, 26, confirming that Eid al-Adha is increasing his business because new clients are attracted to his products on such occasions. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
