History of Eid-al-Adha Festival
It is said that one of the major trials of Abraham’s life was that he faced the command of the almighty which propounded him to make a sacrifice of his son. While the name of his son is mentioned in the Quran, according to certain Islamic traditions, he has been identified as Ishmael.
When the command was given to Abraham, he started preparing for the heart-wrenching sacrifice of his own son. And while he was involved in carrying out the preparations, the Devil tempted Abraham and tried to dissuade him from carrying out God’s commandment. But Abraham drove him away by throwing pebbles at him.
Similarly, to this day, stones are thrown at the symbolic pillars during the Stoning of the Devil which is done during the Hajj rites.
On the day of the festival, on mount Arafat, when this enormously emotional sacrifice was to be made, Abraham tried to cut the throat of his son. But was astonished to see that his son was completely unharmed, he then looked for an animal which was later slaughtered in his place.
Abraham passed his test by his devotional willingness to carry out God's command for even sacrificing his own son.
It is interesting to know that in Judaism as well, this story finds its mention and is known as the Akedah in the first book of Moses.
Major Attractions of Eid al Adha Festival
On the day of this festival, devotees offer Eid-al-Adha at the mosque. The prayers, that are offered in a gathering, can be offered at anytime after the sun completely rises up to just before the Zuhr time. The womenfolk can participate in it or not actually varies from community to community. At the culmination of prayers, all the Muslims embrace each other with greetings and exchange their gifts.
Everyone dresses in their finest clothing for offering the Eid prayers. The rich sacrifice and devour the best of Halal meat mainly as an aligning symbol of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his own son.
It is also seen that Adhiya - the sacrificed animals or the Qurbani meets certain preset standards of quality. If it does not, then it is considered unacceptable for the holy sacrifice. In Pakistan, an approximate number of ten million animals are sacrificed which can amount to a numerical figure of USD 2.0 billion.
The meat of the Qurbani is typically divided into three parts. One part is for the family, one third is for relatives and friends and the remaining part is given to the poor and needy.
Clothes for Eid-al-Adha in Different Countries
Every culture around the world has its own style and a specific sense of dressing, and the same goes for the Muslim community as well. However, youngsters wear what pleases them amongst their finest outfits. Let’s uncover some of them around the Globe.
- India. Indian women wear the traditional Salwaar-Kameez, Shararas, Niqab and men generally go with Kurta-Pyjama.
- Pakistan. Here as well the women wear traditional Shararas, Salwaar-Kameez, hijab and men go with Kurta-Pyjama.
- Palestine. Generally women wear a dress known as Thube and men carry Kurta-Pyjama with them.
- Malaysia. Womenfolk wear hijab and their traditional long gowns and men can be seen wearing long kurtas.
- UAE. Men wear their traditional headgear which is known as the keffiyeh and cloak which is known as thobe. On the other hand, women wear Abaya - traditional long robe-like outfit.
- The Philippines. Here the women carry colourful headscarves and long robes and men can also be seen wearing thobes.
How to Reach
Delhi has always been a cultural hub of India. Anyone who wants to experience all the flavours of India rolled into one geographical location, would definitely be liking it. Let’s discuss how you can reach Delhi via the following routes.
By Air. The best option to reach Delhi via air would be the Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL). Named after India’s one of the most popular Prime Ministers, it is considered as the busiest airport in India spread over an area of about 5,000 acres.
Many airlines like AirIndia, IndiGo, Vistara and many others operate to and fro Delhi with great connectivity with other cities and destinations like Kolkata, Mumbai, Lucknow, Indore, Agra, and Jaipur.
After you deboard at the airport, you can easily take a cab or some other means of public transportation to reach Jama Masjid. Jama Masjid is situated at 20 km from the airport.
You can also consider travelling via metro. The nearest metro station from the Delhi airport is the Terminal 1 IGI Airport metro station. From this metro station, it will cost you about Rs.50 with a timeframe of about 39 minutes. There are a total of 19 stations between this route. You will also need to interchange twice at Hauz Khas and Central Secretariat.
By Road. Delhi has a really great road connectivity with other nearby cities. Here is the route you can take to reach Delhi from other cities.
- Indore - 865 km via NH46
- Lucknow - 555 km via Agra-Lucknow Expressway
- Jaipur - 273 km via NH48
- Ajmer - 401 km via NH48 and NH21
- Gwalior - 366 km via Taj Expressway
- Patiala - 254 km via NH44
While planning your trip to Delhi you can also rely on the interstate buses. You can book a bus from the Maharana Pratap Interstate Bus Terminus (ISBT). This is considered as one of the largest bus terminals in India.
By Train. The city of Delhi has very good connectivity with other Indian cities. Yes, some of the popular train stations of Delhi are New Delhi Railway Station, Old Delhi Railway Station, and Anand Vihar Terminus.
Out of these stations, the New Delhi and the Old Delhi Railway Stations are known to be the most prominent railway stations of Delhi. Here is the route you can take to reach Delhi via train route.
- Indore - Board INDB NDLS Express from Indore Junction BG and deboard at New Delhi Railway Station
- Lucknow - Board IRCTC Tejas Express from Lucknow NE and deboard at the New Delhi Railway Station
- Ludhiana - Board Amritsar Shatabdi Express from Ludhiana Junction and deboard at the New Delhi Railway Station
- Dehradun - Board Ujjaiyani Express from Dehradun Junction and deboard at H.Nizamuddin railway station
You can plan your trip and create your own route to the city with Adotrip’s technically driven circuit planner. Click here
