Browsing 'eid' News

byShabina S. Khatri
Life
byShabina S. Khatri
Life
Photo for illustrative purposes only.

Ameer Abdul Razak/Flickr

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

With reporting from Lesley Walker

Because the new moon was not sighted last night, Eid Al-Adha (the festival of the sacrifice) will fall on Thursday, Sept. 24.

The first day of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah will be tonight after sunset, and Eid always falls on the 10th day of that month.

Eid coincides with Hajj, a pilgrimage that millions of Muslims make to holy sites in Saudi Arabia.

Pilgrims at Mt. Arafah during Hajj

Omar Chatriwala / Doha News

Pilgrims at Mt. Arafah during Hajj

That includes to Makkah, home of the Grand Mosque, where a falling crane killed more than 100 people over the weekend. As Saudi Arabia investigates the accident, authorities said Hajj will continue as planned.

Eid comes just after the descent of pilgrims from Mount Arafat, a hill east of Makkah on which the Prophet Muhammad gave his final sermon.

During Eid Al-Adha, Muslims sacrifice an animal (usually a sheep, goat, cow, or camel) as something of an offering to God as the Prophet Abraham once did.

The meat is then distributed among themselves, family and friends.

Preparations

Qatar has yet to announce the official holiday dates, but will likely have the same starting day for Eid as Saudi Arabia.

QNA reported yesterday that government employees will receive an advance on their salary on Sept. 20 ahead of Eid.

QDC

Isabell Schulz/Flickr

QDC

Meanwhile, the nation’s sole liquor store Qatar Distribution Company will for the first time be closed for the two weeks up to and during Eid.

QDC was shut from yesterday, Sept. 13 and will reopen on Sept. 26, according to a recording on the warehouse’s answering machine.

The move comes after hotels in Qatar were also instructed by the government to cease selling alcohol in the nine days prior to Eid and on the first day of the celebration itself.

Even for observant Muslims who are not performing Hajj, the first 10 days of this month are believed to blessed days to undertake good deeds.

When Eid itself begins, the Qatar Tourism Authority said it will hold a five-day festival that includes entertainment and cultural shows and events at Katara Cultural Village, Souq Waqif and the malls.

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

Nawaz Photography/Flickr

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

New this year will be a Frozen sing-a-long and a performance from an Arabs Got Talent star, QTA said in a statement today, adding:

“Through the Eid Al Adha Festival theme, ‘Capture Joy,’ QTA will also be launching a campaign inviting visitors and residents to capture the joyful memories associated with Eid and share their experiences of Eid in Qatar through images and words on various online platforms.”

Stay tuned for official government, bank and school holiday dates.

Thoughts?

byShabina S. Khatri
Life Photos
byShabina S. Khatri
Life Photos
Fireworks, Eid Al Adha 2014

All photos by Dexter Payaban and Mohamad Nuski, as contributed to our Flickr group

After three nights of spectacular fireworks, Katara Cultural Village will hold one more 15-minute show tonight.

The official time is 10:30pm, but the fireworks appear to be starting a bit early, around 10:15pm.

For those interested in checking out the final show, keep in mind that traffic in the area is heavy, though police have been present to keep things moving.

https://twitter.com/al_padilla06/status/518766557783007232

Some have suggested watching the show from the Pearl-Qatar. Have you seen the fireworks yet? Thoughts?

byElysia Windrum
Life
byElysia Windrum
Life
Circus at the souq, 2011.

Omar Chatriwala

Circus performance at Souq Waqif in 2011.

Though many people have lauded Qatar for organizing so many events and shows during this year’s Eid Al Adha holidays, some have expressed consternation after some of the main highlights have been unexpectedly postponed.

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

Nathan Rupert/Flickr

Photo for illustrative purposes only.

Last night, some residents found themselves being turned away from various venues that were hosting performances, with no prior warning that there had been a change to the schedule.

Katara’s “Dreams on Ice” and “Angry Birds” shows are among the events that failed to debut this weekend. Souq Waqif also reportedly turned away visitors last night who wanted to attend its circus.

The Katara events were due to open on Saturday, and the circus was slated to debut yesterday.

Katara

Speaking to Doha News, a representative at Katara said that both “Angry Birds” and “Dreams on Ice” will now begin on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

But the representative could not comment on the reason for the delayed launch.

dreams on ice“Dreams on Ice” will still run until Nov. 30, with a number of performances taking place each day. From Oct. 8 to Oct. 11, the show will run at 5pm and 8pm on weekdays; and 3pm, 6pm and 9pm on weekends.

From Oct. 12 to Nov. 20, the show will run at 10am and 6pm on weekdays; 5pm and 8pm on Fridays and 3pm, 6pm and 9pm on Saturdays.

And “Angry Birds” shows will be held throughout this month. From Oct. 8 to Oct. 10, the show will run from 11am to 11pm on weekdays and 1pm to 11pm on weekends.

From Oct. 11 to Oct. 31, shows will run from 9am to 1pm on weekdays and 1pm to 11pm on weekends.

“Dreams on Ice” performances are organized by Katara itself, whereas Angry Birds shows are organized by the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), which hosts the majority of events taking place during the holidays. No one at QTA could immediately be reached for comment about the last-minute schedule changes.

More information about the two shows can be found in our Eid Guide here.

Elsewhere at Katara, fireworks, Big Bang and Abu Salama shows have been off to a great start, receiving positive feedback from many of the 70,000 people attending the shows on the first day of Eid, the Peninsula reports.

Circus woes

Doha residents have also expressed disappointment at changes made to Souq Waqif’s circus shows and a lack of organization at West End Park:

https://twitter.com/pulpfiction96/status/518775560575528961

The souq’s information center told Doha News that no changes have been made to the schedule, and other departments were unavailable for comment.

Similar unexpected changes were also made during Eid Al Fitr this year, with residents for example reporting that Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al Thani Museum was closed on the first day of Eid until 4pm.

The museum was supposed to be open from 8:30am to 6pm for visitors.

Several other activities are still being hosted around town during this week and the coming month. For a full list, see our Eid Guide here.

Thoughts?