Bakrid, also known as Eid-Ul-Zuha or Eid-al-Adha means the auspicious day of sacrifice. While Muslims around the world traditionally sacrifice a goat and offer prayers at Mosques, the true spirit of the festival lies in sharing and caring for the lesser privileged.

The festival commemorates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his dearest son to God in order to prove his obedience, devotion and faith. As the legend goes, God was impressed by Abraham and asked him to sacrifice a goat instead of his son.

There are few guidelines for celebrating Bakrid. People start their day with morning prayers and exchanging wishes with family and friends.

Muslims across the globe believe that no one should go hungry on the day of the sacrificial feast. Zakat or charity is one of the prime tenants of Islam and on this day, Muslims are encouraged to share their earnings with the lesser privileged.

However, the most important part of the festival is to share food with the hungry and those who can’t afford to buy various food items. The food prepared at home be it Biriyani, Parathas or Kheer is divided into three parts.

The large portion is to be shared with the poor and needy, the second part with friends and neighbours and the rest is for family consumption.

This year Kerala, the state with majority of Muslim population is battling floods, Muslim clerics across the country have requested for low key celebrations. It is being urged to share 10 per cent of the zakat (charity) amount for the rehabilitation of flood victims.

Sunni cleric and Imam Aishbagh Eidgah, Maulana Khalid Rasheed urged in his Facebook wrote, "An important appeal: Donate at least 10% of your Eid-Ul-Azha is that along with sacrificing an animal we must develop a spirit of sacrifice in our self so that whenever the humanity is in need of help we all should come forward and help the mankind. This is the true message of Qurbani.”

Netmeds.com wishes all its customers a Happy Bakrid!