Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Oct. 26 / Trend corr. D.Azizov /.
Muslims in Uzbekistan have started celebrating of the most important holiday of Islam - Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice).
Early in the morning the Muslims came to mosques for morning prayers. Following the sermon, Muslims usually go to cemetery to pray for the dead and to worship the saints. After returning from the cemetery, the faithful begin the sacrificial rite.
Eid al-Fitr is a part of the Muslim ritual of pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj). It is celebrated on the 10th day of the 12th month of the Muslim lunar calendar, Dhul-Hijjah. Every year around two million Muslims from all over the world come to Saudi Arabia, to the holy city of Islam Mecca, home of Muhammad to perform Hajj.
This year's more than 5000 pilgrims from Uzbekistan performed Hajj. Pilgrims are brought to Saudi Arabia on special Uzbekistan Airways flights from different regions of the country.
Considering the role and importance of this holiday in the spiritual life of the people and the preservation and exaltation of national and religious values, strengthening mutual consent of citizens, further enrichment of their moral and spiritual world, the first day of Eid al Hait, is declared a holiday and has been widely celebrated in Uzbekistan since 1991
To date, over 22.000 religious organisations of different faiths have been registered in Uzbekistan. Most of them, nearly 90 per cent of the total number are Muslim, with more than 80 per cent of the population considering themselves to be followers of Islam.
However, some 159 Christian organisations, eight Jewish communities, six Baha'i communities, one Krishna society and one Buddhist temple are registered in the country.
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