Mumbai, Sep 25 (IANS): Eid was celebrated here and in other parts of Maharashtra on Friday with subdued fervour and enthusiasm in the wake of the Haj stampede tragedy in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, in which over 700 people were killed on Thursday.

Special prayers were offered by men, women and youth at various mosques in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Palghar, Nashik, Aurangabad, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Pune and other cities and in important pockets of Muslim populations.

Later, goats were sacrificed to commemorate the readiness of Ibrahim, the apostle of God, to sacrifice his son and honour the Almighty's command, effectively signifiying renunciation. By a miracle, at the last minute Irahim's child was replaced by a goat.

Goat meat, considered auspicious, was offered to friends, relatives and poor people, and people exchanged greetings.

The celebrations were low-key on account of the Makkah tragedy which left 717 Hajis dead, including one pilgrim from Maharashtra, besides 13 others from elsewhere in India.

The ongoing severe drought conditions in many parts of the state and the state-wide ban on beef, enforced strictly since last May, also added to the no-frills celebrations of the Eid.

The Social Education and Welfare Association launched a drive to help farmers in distress in the worst-hit districts of Beed, Latur and Osmanabad, as part of the Eid festival.