LAHORE - The City is abuzz with Eid activities to mark the religious occasion with traditional enthusiasm. Arrival of herds of goats and sheep in the provincial capital from various parts of the country is in full swing. Other than the sale points of animals designated by CDGL, streets and roads have been flooded with sacrificial animals. Traders of cattle have spread in different localities to sell the animals. Frequent scenes of bargaining could be watched out most of the time. Usually people are not much interested to buy sacrificial animals through venders. But, they haggle in a bid to evaluate the price of animals being sold out in streets and cattle market. People have also started adorning their goats, sheep, cows and camels. Decorated sacrificial animals could be seen tied up outside the houses. Children are also sighted moving with their sacrificial animals. Bells hanging around the necks of cows and animals are sounding out the bugle of Eid onset, which is round the corner. This year, cows and camels have outnumbered the goats and sheep. People are more interested in collective sacrifices, so trend to buy cows and camels has been picking momentum. Different organisations including religious seminaries, NGOs and charitable institutions have also come into action to get the skins of sacrificial animals as charity. They have displayed a number of banners on main roundabouts, main roads and most populated Mohalas to convince the people that nobody but they are deserving one. Some companies have also put up the banners and install the billboards offering that they are well-resourced to slaughter animals on digital machines and deliver it to doorsteps of their clients against nominal charges. They also offer to extend the services of collective sacrifice, getting popularity among the people due to its affordability. As usual many seminaries, neighbourhood committees and mosques have also arranged joint sacrifices. Static advertisement is visible in various part of the city, attracting citizens to contribute in sacrificing a cow by paying from only Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,500. This year sacrifices of camels have seen an increase. Many streets are seen with camels decorated with colourful garlands. Only a few years back camel sacrifices were not commonplace but nowadays people seem highly captivated in them. The high price of goats has brought along this changing trend. Akram, a bystander at Bakra Mandi, said, "If I purchase a goat weighing 20 kilograms, then after sacrifice, I end up with only 10 or 12 kilograms of meat. I have a big family and a lot of relatives, giving them three or four pieces of meat is very embarrassing." He added, "I have decided to go for a joint-sacrifice of a cow. This way I will be free on Eid day because I will not have to search for a butcher. Finding a butcher on Eid day is a hard task." However, some people are only interested in sacrificing goats. "I know the prices of goats are ridiculously high but still prefer goats because it is a matter of my family prestige. Eid comes after a whole year and if I don't go for the best sacrifice then its quite shameful of me," said Riaz, while shopping at a Samnabad stall. He added, "I will last day so that the prices might go down a bit and then buy a goat." Butchers' business might suffer. Mohammad Siddique, a butcher, says, "Over the years our business has already suffered because of inflation. As far as this new service is concerned, I would only say that this concept is not new. For the past few years, people have been bringing animals to my shop on the plea that at home it is very difficult to clean blood and waste. They have just made it a commercial venture. Nonetheless, it is comparatively expensive." Here, a sociologist and a professor at Punjab University, Uzma Mazhar says, "Yes, some of the things are not happening in our society as they used to be hundred years ago, but lifestyle is changing all over Pakistan and traditions and cultures change when lifestyles change. Now, we have small houses, we don't have servants, therefore, not everyone has the ability to fullfil the requirements that come with qurbani baggage, hence, it is not a matter of right, wrong, good or bad, it is simply to adapt to new needs." She added. The trend of purchasing sacrificial animals through internet is also picking popularity. A large number of websites offering goats, cows and camels for the upcoming Eidul Azha have appeared on the internet. These websites claim that browsing for animals on the internet is better than personally going to a cattle market to select a sacrificial animal. They are also offering Qurbani to expatriate Pakistanis and one of their packages is that they will sacrifice an animal here in Pakistan, distribute its meat among the poor and send pictures of live and sacrificed animal to the customers abroad.