Jordan joins Arab, Muslim nation in celebrating Eid Al Adha

AMMAN — Jordan and the Islamic nation celebrate Eid Al Adha today through Friday.

By celebrating Eid Al Adha, or the feast of the sacrifice, Muslims mark the end of another major ritual in Islam, the Hajj, or the greater pilgrimage to Mecca, while Eid Al Fitr, which fell in early July this year, is a celebration of the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. 

His Majesty King Abdullah congratulated the nation and expressed well wishes in a Facebook post  on Sunday. 

HRH Crown Prince Hussein said on Instagram: “#AdhaMubarak. May you all have a very happy and blessed Eid. #EidAdha #OurJordan,” as Her Majesty Queen Rania said on the same platform: “Wishing you all a blessed Eid Adha”

In phone calls and cables, the King exchanged Eid wishes with Arab and Muslim leaders. His Majesty and the Crown Prince also received cables from senior officials and officers.

The key Hajj ritual is Arafa Day, this year marked on September 11, when millions of pilgrims ascend Arafat Mount from morning till sunset.

Jordanians customarily prepare for the Eid by buying sweets  and new clothes, especially for children, and those who are well off buy mostly a sheep to slaughter and distribute meat to the poor. 

However, owners of clothing stores said on Sunday that sales for Eid this year were the lowest in 10 years. 

In remarks to The Jordan Times, they blamed the fall in sales on change of priorities of Jordanian shoppers and taxes imposed on imported garment.

Foodstuff and sweets vendors echoed similar impressions about the season, blaming the timing of Eid this year, as families have been “financially exhausted” by the burden of other occasions such as the start of the new school year and other Eid needs. A sector leader noted that this summer has witnessed the most difficult seasons in terms of household accounting: the school holiday itself, Ramadan, Eid Al Fitr, the back-to-school season and Eid Al Adha. 

The habit in Jordan is that male members of the family offer related women and children cash presents on Eid day.

There was relatively good news to consumers, not vendors. Sacrifice animals are cheaper this year. 

The abundance of sheep on the local market caused prices to drop this Eid Al Adha, compared to last year, Agriculture Ministry Spokesperson Nimer Haddadin said on Saturday.

“Prices of local sheep are much lower compared to the same time last year, because there is a sufficient amount of local and imported sheep on the market,” he said.

Another good news is the fair weather for most of the holiday, which virtually started on Friday and officially on Sunday. 

Normal summer weather will prevail in Amman and the rest of the central and northern regions, where the population concentrates. It will be hot at the Dead Sea, Aqaba and the Jordan Valley during this week, a meteorologist said.

The streets of Jordan will be less busy during the holiday, except in the so-called “hotspots”. Traffic officials said a plan was in place to reduce congestion near these areas, while they cautioned against high speed.