DUBAI: Celebrating Eid Al-Adha and sending greetings to family and friends, as well as performing prayers, virtually is now an accepted new normal with the coronavirus scare not going away anytime soon.
The Islamic holidays, traditionally spent visiting loved ones and relatives to exchange warm wishes, is now a socially distanced celebration with almost three-fourths of Arab News readers saying they would rather stay at home to keep themselves safe.
Just over a quarter of the readers polled by Arab News would consider visiting loved ones during the long Eid weekend.
#POLL: Eid is about togetherness, but COVID-19 requires separation. How will you combine the two this holiday?
— Arab News (@arabnews) July 30, 2020
Even the religious ritual of Udhiyyah, where thousands of goat and sheep are sacrificed, has changed with customers shunning livestock markets and preferring to place orders online. During Eid, Muslims are encouraged to donate meat to people who are in need.
Some abattoirs in Saudi Arabia and the UAE have even invested in online services so that customers can choose their preferred animal and the time of delivery through a mobile app.
