Feature: Bangladeshi citizens busy preparing to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha

It is not uncommon during these days to see city residents pulling a cow or a buffalo in the city' s major streets and alleys, as many of the residents are returning home bringing with them the sacrificial animals that they bought from the markets.

With the Eid-ul-Adha festival only days away, cattle markets in Dhaka have a brisk business with customers haggling for animals to be slaughtered during the festival.

Eid-ul-Adha, also known as the festival of animal sacrifice, is celebrated on Sept. 24 this year by Muslims throughout the world to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Prophet Ismael as an act of obedience to Allah.

In many street corners and in front of houses in Dhaka cows, bulls,and goats are seen tethered to posts.

In the markets, buyers have complained that the prices of the animals were too high. But sellers attributed the higher prices of the sacrificial animals to the less imports from neighboring India.

They are saying that the demand for mid-sized bulls was very high in all the 18 cattle markets, including at the permanent cattle market a Gabtoli in the capital.

A head of cattle sells between 60,000 taka and 100, 000 taka each and the supply is fast dwindling.

To attract buyers, many traders have decorated their bulls and goats with colorful garlands made of beads, crowns and bells.

Abdul Gafur, a cattle trader, said Monday that the demand for domestic animals to be slaughtered would rise before the festival.

Some devout Muslims are still waiting for the prices to stabilize.

"I have yet to decide if I will buy a cow or goat because the prices are high. I think prices will fall as the media reported that heads of cattle from India would be arriving," said Rahim Miah, a city resident.

Media reports said that the importation of cattle from India has resumed despite earlier government restrictions.

The Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has imposed restrictions for the export of cattle to Bangladesh for religious reasons.

In India, which is a predominantly Hindu country, the cow is considered sacred.

Amid fears of less supply of cattle from India, Bangladesh businessmen have reportedly imported cattle and buffalo from Myanmar.

To most people in Bangladesh, a Muslim country, the need to sacrifice an animal during Eid-ul-Adha is a religious obligation.

"We'll buy sacrificial animals of our choices even if the prices are high, " said Karim Ullah.

Every Muslim who has the financial means must slaughter an animal and distribute the meat to family members and the poor. Millions of poor people in Bangladesh, who cannot afford to buy meat even once in a year, get the chance to eat meat during this time of the year.

Like in previous years, millions of Dhaka dwellers are expected to leave the capital city for their home villages where they will celebrate the festival with their family and kin. Endi