Dhaka: Muslims throughout the country on Wednesday celebrated Eid-ul-Azha with the sacrifice of animals and the distribution of the meat among neighbours, family members, and the poor.

On their second largest religious festival, well-off Muslims sacrificed animals in commemoration of Hazrat Ibrahim’s devotion to Allah as illustrated by his readiness to give up his beloved son Hazrat Ismail.

The very auspicious day reached the climax early hours in the morning amid offering the Eid-ul-Azha prayers by millions from all strata of life at Eidgahs (open spaces), mosques, and makeshift prayer venues in the capital and elsewhere across the country, seeking divine blessings, peace and progress for the country.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina greeted the countrymen as well as the Muslims across the world on occasion of the holy Eid-ul-Azha and exchanged views with people from various platforms.

In Dhaka, the biggest congregation of Eid-ul-Azha was held at the National Eidgah at 8 am where President Abdul Hamid offered his Eid prayers along with hundreds of people from all walks of life.

There was a separate arrangement at the National Eidgah for women to offer their Eid prayers.

Besides, five Eid congregations were held at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque at7am,8am,9am,10amand10:45am.

Eid congregations were also held at 409 spots in the capital. Of the total, 230 Eid jamaats, including the main Eid congregation, were held under the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) while the rest 179 under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).

The main city streets and road islands have been decorated with the national flags and banners inscribed with ‘Eid Mubarak’ in Bangla and Arabic.

Law enforcement agencies, including Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and police, took tight security measures to ensure security in and around the main Eid congregation.

Divisional, district and upazila administrations and local government bodies also took preparations in their respective areas to observe the Eid-ul-Azha.

With the presence of thousands of Muslim devotees as of every year, SholakiaEidgahin Kishoreganj andGor-e-Shaheed Baro Maidan in Dinajpurhosted the country’s largest Eid congregations.

Television channels and radio stations aired special programmes.

Special diets were served in hospitals, jails, government orphanages, centres for persons with disabilities, shelter homes and vagrant and destitute welfare centres.