Eid-ul-Azha nostalgia: 90's kids, once side-kicks, skilled cattle processors now

On the eve of Eid-ul-Azha, a teenager of my acquaintance wrote on Facebook: “Tomorrow my only job is to hold the legs of our sacrificed cow. It is the only job I am good at!”

The comments rolled in, turning the post into a comedic goldmine. One of his friends found similarity with his own situation, as he wrote, “If I am asked to skin the sacrificed animal, I always end up making holes on the skin and meat. It seems my knife has a mind of its own!”

Another friend replied, “Last year, I managed to cut my own hand while processing the meat.” Someone else chimed in, “I used to hide until all the work was done. Now, I am the one who has to manage everything. The tables have turned.”

The post and its comment thread seems a reflection of teenage stories of almost all, particularly those rooted in rural areas. When it comes to those born in the 1990s, it seems to be just yesterday, though it has been years since they entered a new phase of life, full of responsibilities.

If you were born in the 1990s, just recall the days of Eid-ul-Azha one or one and a half decades ago. Perhaps, there was a teenage boy, or girl, nervously watching the slaughtering of cattle, heart pounding due to the emotion developed during previous hours or days. Some might have been brave enough to observe the process up close, while others preferred to hide in safer spots, peeking through the fingers.

And here comes the most thrilling part. When the bovine beast, sensing its fate, would slip through the ropes and make a break for it, the situation would lead to a mad chase around the neighbourhood. The scene was no less than a thriller film, with bulls running wild and people scrambling to rein them in. This thriller remains the same today, but a shift has taken place in the role of the 90s kids.

After the chase and sacrifice, came the most “interesting task” for the teens – holding up the legs in turn while skinning the animal, or removing the hairs from the meat. Those who were relatively more skilled used to get the advanced job of cutting the meat into pieces, after the elders had done it roughly.

In rural areas, sacrificing animals wasn’t affordable for everyone, but the experience was a shared rite of passage. Those who sacrifice and those who could not – all come together to slaughter the animals, process them, and distribute meat among the people.

Fast forward to today, those 90s kids, once leg holders, have mostly become the ones in charge of the entire process of sacrifice. Of course, there would be a section, a majority in city areas, who have never enjoyed these works and kept themselves away. And some of them may fail to connect these stories.

The scenario was not much different for the girls. The girls who once used to help the women process and cook the meat on Eid-ul-Azha have mostly turned the ones running the kitchen, sometimes struggling with one or multiple children. There are exceptions to the rule here too.

All the 90s kids are now in leading roles at their respective places, with a huge burden of responsibilities. Once leg holders on Eid-ul-Azha have now transformed into skilled butchers, and the helpers have become experienced household managers.

Those born in the first half of the 1990s have are settled in jobs or businesses, got married, become parents, and are leading families. And the second half have just secured jobs, or are struggling to secure jobs or launch businesses.

A good number of them now sacrifice animals on their own, instead of just watching their parents arrange everything. Life is full of responsibilities here, just like the difference between holding up a leg in early age and arranging everything during animal sacrifice now.

There is a sense of nostalgia, recalling the days when as teenagers they would rush home from Eid jamaat and eagerly await the slaughtering, and eventually lend a hand to the work, though not to a significant extent.

Today, they are setting examples for their future generations, and thus retain the legacy of sacrifice by Prophet Ibrahim (AS).

For the urban people, the scenario might be different as the city dwellers mostly hire professional butchers to process sacrificial animals. Whatever the scenario, the urban kids surely have various stories that underwent the significant rite of transformation.