Jubilant Dhaka citizens celebrate Eid with Mughal-style colourful procession, cultural event, fair
The Eid celebration procession was brought out from old DITF grounds - where DNCC organised an Eid congregation - and ended at a rally near the South Plaza of Parliament Complex on Manik Mia Avenue
Thousands of jubilant Dhaka citizens started celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr this morning (31 March), after the Eid prayers, by joining a Mughal-style colourful procession, followed by a cultural event and a fair.
The Eid celebration procession was brought out from the old Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) grounds at Agargaon, where Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) organised an Eid congregation and prayer in the morning.
The first-of-its-kind procession ended at a rally near the South Plaza of Parliament Complex on Manik Mia Avenue, where the cultural programme followed. Both events were also organised by DNCC.
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Inaugurating the cultural programme at the rally, DNCC Administrator Mohammad Ejaz said, "Today, friends of different religions have joined our Eid festival. We will bring back our traditions."
Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan said, "We will not forget our martyred brothers [of last year's July Uprising] on this joyful day. Today, Eid really feels like Eid to us. The traditional Eid procession of Dhaka is being celebrated after a hundred years.
"We will organise such an Eid festival every year. We want to celebrate Eid with everyone. On Eid day, the city dwellers will not sit at home and watch TV, but will celebrate through a joyful festival."
SWAT teams, alongside regular personnel, of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police were on the street to ensure the safety and security of the citizens attending the procession and rally.
The Eid congregation was held at 8:30am. Adviser Asif and Ejaj attended the Eid prayers alongside other government officials and thousands of citizens.
Meanwhile, the main Eid prayers were held at the National Eidgah grounds, which Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus attended along with other Advisory Council members, government officials, noted personalities including the chief justice and Supreme Court justices, politicians, diplomats, and armed forces officials.
Mohammad Saiful Islam, who offered Eid prayers at National Eidgah with his son, said, "May we all forget our differences and live together in harmony."
DNCC has also organised an "Eid Fair" at the Bangladesh-China Friendship International Conference Center at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
The two-day fair has more than 200 stalls from numerous participating businesses.
Since the morning, people from all areas of the city were seen coming to the fair.
There is also a special corner for children, who were seen enjoying the facilities, at the fair.
