A few hours after Saudi Arabia opened registration for hajj this year, more than 450,000 Saudi citizen and residents applied have applied, hoping to get tickets for the pilgrimage.
According to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, male registrations made up 60 percent and females 40 percent of the total applications, Arab News reported.
Earlier this week, Saudi authorities announced hajj restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kingdom said no foreign pilgrims would be allowed to perform Hajj this year, setting a maximum of 60,000 pilgrims.
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Dr. Abdulfattah Mashat, deputy minister of Hajj and Umrah, said that only those above 18 will be allowed to enter the holy sites during the Hajj season this year.
Giving priority to people above 50 who have never performed Hajj, Mashat added that no children would be allowed to enter site of the rituals.
Hajj ceremonies symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith. It commemorates the trials of Prophet Abraham and his family.
Every able-bodied adult Muslim who can financially afford the trip must perform Hajj at least once in a lifetime.
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Hajj Dreams
Applicants for this year’s hajj hope they can get a ticket to perform the life-time ritual.
Mohammed Gamlo, a 25-year-old Saudi culture and engagement senior officer at Bupa Arabia, is one of the applicants this year.
“I had a lot of doubts about Hajj this year; would I get to perform this year or not?” he told Arab News.
“I was so happy when the ministry made the announcement and I said to myself that I have to be among the first to register.”
If Gamlo’s application is accepted, this will be his first Hajj experience. “Every time I have tried to go for Hajj, it never worked out.”
Before the pandemic, Makkah used to see millions of Muslims from around the world pouring in to perform Hajj.
In 2020, Hajj was like no other due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced Saudi government to cut the number of pilgrims to only 1000 to curb the spread of the deadly virus.