Dhaka (AsiaNews) - Traffic jams, trains assaulted, public transportation (including ferries) unusable and late. This is the scene this year in Dhaka on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice celebrated every year during the lunar month of Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). The celebration, which will start tomorrow and will last three to seven days, sees all the Muslims of the capital set off to return to their places of origin, to celebrate with family members.
This mass movement has made it almost impossible to find a place on any vehicle, and often people travel on the roofs of trains and buses (see photo). Bangladesh is a developing and overpopulated country, counting 156 million people in about half the area of Italy.
Eid al-Adha is a national holiday and schools and offices are closed. This means that even the Catholic minority in the country (about 300 thousand people) does not work, but 95% cannot return home due to lack of transportation. "Although I have seven days holiday for Eid, I will not go from Dhaka to Khulna [240 km south-west ed] - Biplob Biswas tells AsiaNews - because I do not know how to get there and back”.
Uttom Gomes, a Catholic who is studying at Dhaka University, said: "I have seen Muslims waiting for hours at the bus stop without a ticket. The set out on the journey even if they don’t have a seat. This is why I never travel home during Eid, but only for Christmas and other celebrations of our community. "
The Eid celebration can be an opportunity for coexistence between people of different religions. Sometimes, Muslims invite Christian friends to celebrate with them. "I have some Muslim friends- continues Uttom – who have invited me during Eid to go to their house. So we celebrate together. And I invite them for Christmas. "
During Eid al-Adha Muslims perform animal sacrifices to commemorate Ibrahim (Abraham) ‘s willingness to sacrifice his son in response to the command of Allah. This year the prices of livestock and meat in Bangladesh have risen because of India’s campaign against meat smuggling. According to estimates, about two million head of cattle are smuggled from India to Bangladesh every year.
