Subsistence behind the festival

Eid al-Adha is the second of two Islamic holidays celebrated worldwide each year. It honours the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismael as an act of obedience to God's command.

Just as there is a greatness of self-sacrifice in this festival, in the same way, there is a great source of income around this festival.

Every year, on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, huge cattle markets are gathered all over the country.

A man with a sharp knife going to slaughter a cow. The picture was taken from Chattogram. Photo: Subrata Dey

Officials at Bangladesh's Department of Animal Resources say there were 1.16 million animals sacrificed in the country last year. Of these, 45 lakh are cows and 71 lakh are goats and sheep.

With the cessation of import of sacrificial animal from India and cattle smuggling, people in most parts of the country have now started raising cattle which can meet this huge demand.

A cow seller going back with the rest of the cattle. Maybe he is not willing to sell at a lower price or would wait for next year. Photo: Subrata Dey

At the same time, it is protecting a large section of the population from unemployment and contributing to the country's economy.

Men, as well as women, have now become interested in raising cattle. Shahana Khatun from Daulatpur village, said that every year they raise two to three bulls for sale at Korban, with which they can continue their household expenses for about a year.

Similarly, Shahidul of Pabna in Chittagong cattle market said that he has raised five bulls for sale this year, but he faced a lot of financial loss this year as he did not get the expected price.

Eid ul Azha depends largely on the cattle trade as well as the rise and fall of the leather industry.

By meeting the demand for leather in the country every year, it is possible to export these cattle skins and leather products abroad.

A mother and son are bathing the cows. They raise two cows for sale every year on Eid ul adha. The photo was taken from Daulatpur Upazila. Photo: Subrata Dey/TBS

However, due to the dishonest syndicate, the leather sellers are not getting the right price.

By doing so, they are losing interest in selling the leather and throwing it away as waste, which is causing economic and natural damage to the country.

The picture shows a man caring for the cows he brought from Natore to Chattogram to sell in the market. He brought 25 cows and sold most of them in the market. Photo: Subrata Dey