Eid-ul-Azha falls on 7 June, and its main ritual is qurbani, the sacrifice of animals. Cattle have started arriving at the markets, and today is the last day of normal banking. As a result, crowds of customers have grown at banks and booths to withdraw cash.

A 10-day holiday starts tomorrow. With this the last banking day, there has been a rush of customers to withdraw money before the Eid break.

From the morning, customers were present in noticeable numbers at almost every branch and at the banks' booths, as seen in different parts of the capital on Wednesday, 4 June.

Those involved said the booths held enough cash and customers were facing no problems.

At bank branches from the morning, customer pressure had risen because of Eid. Some were withdrawing money in advance, others breaking into their savings. Most banks had expanded their services in advance to handle the extra pressure.

Sonali Bank official Parvez said everyone needs money at festival time: some for shopping, some to buy a qurbani animal at the market, some to travel to their village homes, and many to pay salaries and allowances at their businesses. "We went about our work expecting customer numbers to rise on the last working day. We were prepared, so customers did not face any trouble," he said.

Agrani Bank official Mahbub said customers withdraw more money on the last working day before Eid every year. "Because withdrawals are higher than deposits, the bank also prepares in advance. Customers have been here since this morning, and we are trying to give them the best service."

Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated in the country on 7 June. The holiday begins tomorrow, 5 June, and runs for 10 days, ending on 14 June.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.