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Eid-ul-Fitr (festival of sacrifice), also called Feast of the Sacrifice, the Major Festival, the Greater Eid, Kurban Bayram and Bakrid, is an important religious holiday celebrated by the Muslim community with the traditional sharing of resources and halaal meat, which was sacrificed symbolically by Muslims worldwide to honour the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his young first-born son Ismail as an act of submission to God’s command; and his son’s acceptance of being sacrificed, before God intervened to provide Abraham with a ram to sacrifice instead.
According to Islamic teaching, Eid-ul-Adha is a time for Muslims to learn the value of self-denial by making a sacrifice of something living to God. It is stringently denied by most Muslim theologians that the sacrifice has any further significance, and it is especially denied that religious sacrifice has any atoning or propitiatory value. Abraham’s great act of submission is thus regarded solely as an example of genuine surrender to the will of God, and is to be followed as such.
Eid-ul-Adha is observed after the Hajj — the annual pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca) in Saudi Arabia.
Wikipedia states “A duty of each Muslim, as described in the Five Pillars of Islam, is to go on Hajj at least once during their lifetime, unless they are prevented by finances or ill health. “The Hajj consists of several ceremonies, meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of prophet Abraham and his family…The pilgrimage also enables Muslims from all around the world, of different colours, languages, races, and ethnicities, to come together in a spirit of universal brotherhood and sisterhood to worship the One God together.”
It is the second of the two major Muslim holy days. The other is Eid-ul-Fitr, which follows Ramadan — a lunar month of partial fasting.
The Eid of Prophet Ibrahim is a national holiday in Guyana, and Minister of Tourism, Irfaan Ali, who recognised that many Guyanese in the Diaspora return home each year to perform qurbani and celebrate this significant festival with their families and friends, conceptualized Eid Fest, a celebration of national proportions, which was launched at the Guyana National Stadium last Sunday.
Planned to become a primary feature within Guyana’s national calendar of events, Eid Fest 2012 drew participants from all the Muslim organisations in Guyana, and can be deemed a success by any standard. Master of ceremonies, Reyaz Hussain, lauded the Tourism Minister for the unprecedented initiative, and the government for the religious freedom and tolerance that all religions enjoy in Guyana.
His Excellency, President Donald Ramotar, expressed his pleasure in being provided an opportunity to “share this wonderful holiday, which has a universal meaning.” He said that most religious holidays have “sacrifice at the heart of them,” and emphasized that the story of Prophet Ibrahim is one portraying great self-sacrifice for the general good.
He adjured the audience to live lives whereby all Guyana and humanity as a whole can benefit from their hard work and sacrifice.
Stating that he is proud of Guyana’s freedom of worship enjoyed today, he recalled that, in yesteryears, Hindus and Muslims had to convert to the religion of the colonial masters in order to obtain an education or proper jobs. He noted that the freedoms Guyanese are enjoying today are often taken for granted, without consideration or appreciation given to those who sacrificed much during long, hard years of struggle to realize today’s reality; and he cited the Late Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s struggles and sacrifices as he fought against colonialism, apartheid, oppression in Palestine, and all undemocratic forces in Guyana and the wider world. The President emphatically concluded that there is no real freedom if anyone in the world is oppressed.
Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali said that it was a dream of his that all Muslim organisations celebrate their festivals together, because the basic principles defining their faith remain the same, with all believing in the five pillars of Islam; so he embarked on a mission to make all Guyanese Islamists one.
He heaped praise on the young leaders who took the project on and ran with it to successful culmination. The Minister also lauded President Ramotar for the principled position he has taken on the Palestinian issue, and for the support that the government provides to partner with everyone, including Muslim entrepreneurs, who have made tremendous contributions to national development.
Welcoming remarks were made by Nazir Hack of the Anjuman Hifazatul Islam, followed with the opening Dua by Imam Shaheed of the Queenstown Jama Masjid.
Next was a Quranic recitation by Maulana Riyaad of the Darul Uloom, with Maulana Abdul Malik translating.
Shaykh Abdul Aleem of the Guyana Islamic Trust then spoke about the ‘Significance of Eid-ul-Adha and Hajj’, wherein he said that there are many different dimensions to the story of Prophet Ibrahim, and he went on to elucidate to the audience.
This programme item was followed by a presentation from a member of the Darul Uloom, after which Shaykh Nazim Baksh spoke on ‘The Muslim role in society and its contributions’.
M.C. Reyaz, introducing the next presenter, said that Shaykh Nazim Baksh was his Madrassa teacher in Ruimveldt before he left Guyana to become a practising journalist in Canada. He was of such prestige that he was nominated 3rd most influential Muslim in journalism. One of his major achievements was bringing to Guyana a direct descendant of Prophet Mohamed (OWBP).
His presentation was well-researched, comprehensive, and imparted hitherto unknown information to an extremely receptive audience, members of which were being educated in various ways on the expansive contributions of Islam and its followers to the world and humanity.
A melodious Qaseeda by Shiraz Ameer Ali of the Muslim Youth League preceded a dramatized poem from students of the ISA Islamic Academy.
Maulana Badruddin, former Speaker in the T & T National Assembly, spoke on ‘The concept of sacrifice in the modern world’. He posited that Muslims strive every day for excellence, and asked: If Man can sacrifice religion to make the world, why cannot the reverse happen? Then he went on to explain at length that in attempts to provide children with the mod-cons of the modern world and luxuries that match those acquired by peers, which sometimes make them selfish and rebellious, the inculcation of real values in children and a love for God create good character and benefit the family, the country, and the world.
The Vote of Thanks was given by Neil Bacchus of the Muslim Youth League, with concluding Dua being rendered by Shaykh Mustapha Kanakir.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds was also a guest at the event.
Ratha Yatra
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna Movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization founded in 1965 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Its core beliefs are based on traditional Hindu scriptures, such as the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam and the Bhagavad-gītā, both of which, according to the traditional Hindu view, date back more than 5,000 years. The distinctive appearance of the movement and its culture came from the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, which has had adherents in India since the late 15th century, and Western converts since the early 1930s.
ISKCON was formed to spread the practice of bhakti yoga, in which aspirant devotees (bhaktas) dedicate their thoughts and actions towards pleasing the Supreme Lord, Krishna. ISKCON today is a worldwide confederation of more than 400 centres, including 60 farm communities, some aiming for self-sufficiency; 50 schools and 90 restaurants. In recent decades, the movement’s most rapid expansion in terms of numbers of membership has been within Eastern Europe.
The Guyana chapter of the Hare Krishna Movement held its annual Ratha-Yatra festival in Georgetown on October 27 and 28 with a Lord Jagannath Parade through city streets, beginning at the Ruimveldt Estate on October 27, and from Agriculture Road on the East Coast of Demerara, both of which culminated with a cultural/religious presentation at UG Road in Cummings Lodge.
Chanting the Lord’s name and dancing in exultation in the broiling afternoon sun, Krishna devotees drew the canopied Jagannath Chariot through the streets of Georgetown, starting at approximately 14:00 hrs on both days. Hundreds of Guyanese members were joined by international visitors from all parts of the globe, and it is interesting to note that every race in the family of humankind participates in this celestial activity. As a prelude to Ratha-Yatra, there have been several planned engagements for the chanting of God’s names, and distribution of sanctified food in various parts of Georgetown and its suburbs by the visitors and local Hare Krishna devotees.
Ratha-Yatra is one of the biggest and most popular religious and cultural festivals held by ISKCON in all major cities around the world, and it is attended by people of all walks of life.
Ratha-Yatra Festival has now become a calendar event in Guyana, and signifies the promises of Lord Krishna because, although Lord Krishna is the origin of the entire cosmos, Hindus believe that he regularly descends to earth in the form of man, in order to bring balance to the scheme of things in the lives of humans.
Jagannath means ‘Lord of the Universe’, so participating in the Ratha-Yatra festival is for everyone, because participation in this holy event is considered a blessing.
Both President Donald Ramotar and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds attended this event.
Nava-ratri
“Nava-ratri” literally means “nine nights.” This festival is observed twice a year, once in the beginning of summer and again at the onset of winter.
During Nava-ratri, Hindus invoke the energy aspect of God in the form of the Universal Mother, commonly referred to as “Durga,” which literally means the remover of miseries of life. She is also referred to as “Devi” (goddess) or “Shakti” (energy or power). It is this energy which helps God to proceed with the work of creation, preservation and destruction. In other words, you can say that God is motionless, absolutely changeless, and the Divine Mother Durga does everything. Truly speaking, our worship of Shakti re-confirms the scientific theory that energy is imperishable. It cannot be created or destroyed. It is always there.
Hindus believe this energy is only a form of the Divine Mother, who is the mother of all, and all members of humankind are her children. The belief is that God’s glory, His cosmic energy, His greatness and supremacy can best be depicted as the motherhood aspect of God.
At a Nava-ratri service, which he presided over at the Vishnu Mandir in Alexander Village recently, Pandit Ravi Persaud expounded on the significance of this holy festival. “Just as a child finds all these qualities in his or her mother; similarly, all of us look upon God as mother. In fact, Hinduism is the only religion in the world which gives so much importance to the mother aspect of God, because we believe that mother is the creative aspect of the absolute.
“Every year, the beginning of summer and the beginning of winter are two very important junctures of climatic change and solar influence. These two junctions have been chosen as the sacred opportunities for the worship of the divine power because:
(1) We believe that it is the divine power that provides energy for the Earth to move around the Sun, causing the changes in the outer nature, and that this divine power must be thanked for maintaining the correct balance of the universe.
(2) Due to changes in nature, the bodies and minds of people undergo a considerable change, and hence we worship the divine power to bestow upon all of us enough potent powers to maintain our physical and mental balance.”
Nava-ratri is divided into sets of three days to adore different aspects of the supreme goddess. On the first three days, the Mother is invoked as a powerful force called Durga in order to destroy all our impurities, vices and defects. The next three days, the Mother is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi, who is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees inexhaustible wealth. The final set of three days is spent in worshipping the mother as the goddess of wisdom, Saraswati.
In order to have all-round success in life, we need the blessings of all three aspects of the divine mother; hence the worship for nine nights.
In a short while, Guyanese will also be celebrating Kwanza and Christmas. And Christmas is the holiday that all Guyanese celebrate, regardless of religious denomination. It is fittingly a day that brings this nation together in celebration of the birth of the Christ child, or significantly, the birth of new hope; and the perennial hope prayed for by members of every religious denomination in Guyana is that Guyanese will live together in peace and harmony, and that our nation can achieve prosperity.
Guyanese are, above all, a religious people; and with such a collective voice raised in supplication, the Lord is bound to bestow his blessings and beneficence on our nation.
