Thiruvananthapuram: Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, was celebrated Sunday with religious fervour and gaiety across Kerala.
The day began with Muslims, attired in their best, offering prayers at Eidgahs (open grounds) and mosques.
Eid al-Adha, also known as Bakra-Eid, is one of the most important festivals in the Muslim calendar.
Film star Mammootty was the cynosure of all eyes at an Eidgah in Kochi while the biggest Eidgah was in Kozhikode, where an estimated 10,000 people offered prayers.
Districts like Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kochi and the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram witnessed increased activities among the Muslims to celebrate the Eid.
After the prayers, Muslims sacrificed goats and other "halal" animals commemorating the great sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim. The meat of the sacrificed animals is distributed among neighbours, relatives and the poor.
Muslims constitute about 22 percent of the state's 3.30 crore population. Since Bakra-Eid this year fell on a Sunday, the state government declared Monday as a public holiday.
In rest of India, including the capital New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kolkata, Guwahati, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Bhopal, Eid al-Adha will be celebrated on Monday October 06, 2014.
In Arab states including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE, and in United States, UK and European countries Eid al-Adha this year was celebrated on Saturday October 03, 2014.
The different days of Eid celebration is becuase of the Islamic calendar which depends on lunar system, and the new month begins with sightinh of moon.
Kerala being a coastel state the new moon is sighted a day earlier than rest of India.
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