On Saturday 27 October the second bi-annual Eid Event for 2012 was hosted by Auckland’s historical Eden Park.
Muslims all around the world celebrated this auspicious Islamic Holiday. The objective of this event was to celebrate Eid in an environment of happiness, joy and fun. It marks the end of the Hajj Pilgrimage – The last of the five pillars of Islam, its founding principles. It is known as the Feast of Sacrifice because it traditionally includes the offering of an animal permitted for food (eg. a lamb) as an act of thanksgiving for God’s mercy which is then shared with the poor and needy.
With Prayers commencing at 8.15am the event took place till 3pm with a range of activities to cater for all ages. The activities included free bouncy castles, horizontal bungy, mechanical bulls, blow ups gladiator, human football. There were competitions, educational stalls, merchandise stalls, face painting and Hena. Mouth-watering foods with tantalising flavours were available too from the many exotic foodstalls. There were also performances by local Muslim artists and youth from the community.
The last Eid Event was a major success which drew in more than 7000 people from all different backgrounds. Like many other cultural and religious events, Auckland Eid Day is a Free public event. All are welcome regardless of faith, ethnicity, gender and age to get amongst and share the celebrations.
Auckland Eid Day is a not-for-profit event. 90 Volunteers offered their time and the feedback has been extremely positive.