What was the scene on the first day of Hajj?

Haj Reflections: Day One
Siraj Wahab

Mina is a small city and as far as the eye can see, tents cover every open space. They have been neatly arranged, row after row. The entrances to many of the tents are decorated with banners and garlands, balloons fly over others, helping pilgrims identify their temporary residences from the sea of white fabric.
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The pilgrims arrive in Mina with mixed feelings of joy and reflection. They think of the rituals they must perform so there is also trepidation. The pilgrims count themselves among the lucky to be in the tent city on this day. Their joy is unequaled.
And the whole exercise reminds them of life that has gone by, the wrongs they have committed and the time they have wasted. It is natural for them to reflect on the past and pray for inspiration in the future.
Tomorrow on the plains of Arafat they will bare their hearts before God and beseech Him to forgive them and bless them with their greatest desires. What tops the list of their prayers is often secret, perhaps something that they would admit to no one but God. However, there are some pilgrims who will confide their wishes. It is not surprising that a huge range of requests will be made to God here. Some prayers are for the general good of humanity; all pilgrims are praying for peace and for good sense to prevail.
Sajid Hassan Suleria from Kashmir will pray for a baby boy. “I have seven girls and I am hoping that God will bless us with a baby boy this time. I know that in Islam women command greater respect but in my society a boy is seen as a prized asset, as a companion of old age. I am undertaking this Haj to beseech God to grant us a baby boy,” Sarwar said.
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The Saudi fast-food chain Al-Baik was making brisk business in Mina last night. Pilgrims queued up in large numbers at the chain’s four outlets in the tent city.
“The aluminum box with chicken nuggets and an assortment of fries, a bun and those delicious little boxes of garlic sauce is my obsession,” said 15-year-old Amina Sadeq who was part of an Egyptian group of pilgrims. “The moment I saw the bright red and yellow colors of Al-Baik near the Jamrat, I wanted it and kept pestering my parents to get me a box of nuggets. They were happy and immediately ordered Al-Baik for everybody.”
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It is very cold and windy in Mina. Last night the men wrapped themselves tightly in their ihrams. They brought the material up around their necks and sat, for warmth with their legs tucked under their bodies. The female pilgrims from Indonesia and Malaysia had a hard time with the chilly temperatures. Riding through the city on a moped last night was difficult; it was simply too windy. There was a mild drizzle around Fajr yesterday.
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As the crowds swell, movement is becoming more difficult. The drive from Jeddah to Mina yesterday took almost three hours; today local pilgrims said the same drive took six hours. Some pilgrims are also unaware that they should remain in their camps, engaging in prayer and resting for the trials to come. Some pilgrims have been visiting the Jamrat stoning area ahead of schedule. The police try to discourage them and are moving them away from the area rapidly. Keeping the pilgrims warm, rested and fed is foremost on the minds of the authorities. If the skies open up in a big way, efficient crowd control will be essential to prevent accidents and help the pilgrims complete the rituals on time.
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Security officers are everywhere. They will not allow any vehicle to park, even for a minute, on the roadsides. Last night, Mina was a quiet refuge from the hustle and bustle of Makkah. It was not to last. By dawn the trickle of incoming pilgrims had turned into a flood. Sadly, many wore an air of confused desperation. Too many pilgrims were unable to locate their camps amid the sea of white tents. All the camps are numbered, but the exact division of the tent city is not clear. By knowing just the camp number it is impossible to find any specific location.
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The increase in mobile telephone users puts enormous stress on the local telephone networks. It already takes several attempts to get a call to go through and it is almost impossible to maintain a connection for any length of time. The reception over the line keeps breaking up and most of the call consists of shouting back and forth.
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Despite the huge number of pilgrims, the crowds remain healthy. One Health Ministry official said that except for some cases of ordinary influenza, his ministry has come across no contagious illnesses among the pilgrims. He also said that undue importance should not be given to the expected drop in temperatures in the night, as the weather itself does not bring disease. In any case, the ministry is well prepared to handle any health emergency.