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BISHKEK, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Tens of thousands of believers on Monday morning attended a festive prayer in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, marking the beginning of this year's traditional Muslim holiday of Kurman Ait or Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice).
In a celebrative praying held in the central square of Bishkek, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sooronbay Zheenbekov congratulated the believers on behalf of Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev and wished all Kyrgyz citizens peace, prosperity and health.
In the congratulatory message conveyed by Zheenbekov, the president said that Kurman Ait is the Feast of the Sacrifice, one of the two great holidays in Islam, and it symbolizes peace, mercy and unity, caring for others and those in need.
"All the rights and freedoms of believers are observed in an independent democratic Kyrgyzstan and the main religious holidays are declared public," said the president.
In Kyrgyzstan, the vast number of believers are Muslims. Collective prayers on the occasion of the sacred holiday are held throughout the country.
Kurman Ait is an official national holiday in Kyrgyzstan. The main ceremony of this day is to slaughter the sacrificial animal for the sake of God.
