What drives people to buy sacrificial animals other than religious obligation?

As Eidul Azha is around the corner, many people have turned to cattle markets and have bought an animal of their choice for the religious obligation. Apart from religious motives, what are other pulls behind the cattle shopping?

“Well, it’s the social pressure as well,” said Ahsan Raza, a journalist as well as a teacher, when asked to reveal about what led him to buy a lamb for this Eid.

“My family said that other people have bought animals, so don’t delay and buy one. Also, my younger daughter wanted to have a lamb so that she could play with it.”

We cannot deny kids obsession with sacrificial animals. As soon as there is talk about bari Eid, they get all excited for cattle shopping and start pushing their parents to buy the goats of their choice before their friends do.

“I have asked baba to get a brown goat; that would be mine. Bhaiyya can get the black one,” said Mohsin, an 8-year-old school-going kid. He has also chosen the corner where he will tie his goat.

“I will take my goat out for a walk after doing my homework, and show it to my friends,” he added.

Such excitement and continuous pushing by the children force parents to buy cattle before time. Sometimes, people also have this image to maintain to distribute as much meat as they could among their relatives, neighbors and poor.

“We will be buying a bull for sacrificing as the goats are not enough and out of budget,” said Shamshad, a house wife.

Shamshad says she has a big family and friends circle and also has to separate the share of poor so the bull is a better choice.

“A bull and a Goat is planned to be bought near Eid days,” says Rafay, a Doctor turned businessman.

“Apart from religious obligations, the most important factor is to feed as many people as we can,” he added when asked about why the goat as well as bull.

“We distribute cooked as well as raw meat and don’t even keep 1/3rd share for ourselves. That’s why, we tend for bigger bulls, keeping inside the budget window.”

Saad, Ayesha, Amber and many others share the same motive as that of Raffay’s.

“For me the motivating factor isn’t the religious obligation rather the chance to feed the poor and help out those who don’t see meat the whole year because they can’t afford it,” states Saad, an engineer.

“This is one way to share our happiness with those who are less privileged than us and rotating the food to all the segments of the society,” says Ayesha.

Khansha can’t think of any other motivation to buy sacrificial cattle other than the religious aspect or feeding the hungry.

Same goes for Talha who says, “For me, there are no other motives than the fact that it’s an obligation.”

“Feeding the poor and providing for them happens all the year round in many forms,” said Talha adding that “Not denying the fact that it helps giving people living in poverty a taste of meat but that’s not my motivation.”

Nighat is not sacrificing any animal this Eid as she hardly makes the ends meet from the total income of her family.

“I feel so ashamed that I will not be able to buy any cattle even on this Eid,” said Nighat, a house wife.

“My friend taunted me last year that Eid is only for those who are sacrificing and it is still stuck in my mind as I will not be able to sacrifice even this year,” she added.

In some families, it is a common practice like there is no other option than buying animals for the Eid. They don’t even know the main purpose behind it. For them it is what it.