Turkish officials mark Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha

ANKARA

Turkish officials on Tuesday marked the Muslim holiday of Eid-al Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice.


"I congratulate your blessed #Feast of the Sacrifice with my most heartfelt feelings, and I hope that the holiday will be conducive to the peace and brotherhood of all humanity, especially our country, our nation, our geography close to our hearts, and the entire Islamic world," Vice President Fuat Oktay on Twitter, noting that Eid is the symbol of submission, unity, and togetherness.

The holiday commemorates the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim, or Abraham, to sacrifice his son at God's command, before the last-minute divine substitute of a ram. During the holiday, sacrificed meat is distributed to the needy.

Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop in his congratulatory message said Turkey and the entire world experienced the bittersweet joy of celebrating another holiday in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sentop said that during the holidays, when people approach each other with "a little more understanding and increased tolerance," the flow of lives also changes for a short time.

"The awareness of the holiday wipes clean all our pessimism and brings us to a new starting point, a new door of hope. I sincerely greet each and every one of you and hope Eid-al Adha will conduce tranquility, peace, and prosperity for you, your loved ones, our country, and the Islamic world. Our prayer is that the unity and well-being of our beloved nation will be eternal, that the Earth will be a home of goodness, mercy, and justice. May Allah Almighty keep our joy of Eid permanently."

- Protective measures

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca also took to Twitter to greet the nation amid the Eid festivities.

"We had three holidays passing sad with our eyes looking to the future. Although the pandemic has not yet ended, this holiday is different from the previous three. There is now a vaccine. Millions of people have been vaccinated. Those who are not yet (vaccinated) continue to get vaccinated one after the other," Koca said.

He urged the nation to continue with the protective measures, adding: "We should be as careful as before on the days of the feast to make this the last holiday in the pandemic period. I sincerely congratulate you on Eid-al-Adha, and we must start the preparations for future holidays now."

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu in his congratulatory message marked Eid and reiterated the importance of following the hygiene, mask-wearing, and social distance rules.

"I congratulate the Eid-al Adha of our beloved nation, especially our martyrs' relatives, veterans, and their families, our people living abroad, brothers and sisters in our heartland, and the whole Islamic world, and I pray to Allah Almighty that the holiday will be a blessing for all of us, our country, and all humanity," Soylu said.