Eid Mubarak to our Muslim friends at GYV
December 2, 2009 · Print This Article
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Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى ‘Īd ul-’Aḍḥā) or the Festival of Sacrifice (Turkish: Kurban Bayramı) is a religious festival celebrated by Muslims worldwide in commemoration of the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God. As Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son, God intervened and instead provided a lamb as the sacrifice. This is why today all over the world Muslims who have the means to, sacrifice an animal (usually a goat or a sheep), as a reminder of Ibrahim’s obedience to God. The meat is then shared out with family, friends (Muslims or non-Muslims), as well as the poor members of the community.Eid al-Adha is the latter of two Eid festivals celebrated by Muslims. Muslims in Iran celebrate a third, non-denominational Eid commemorating teh Spring Equinox. Like Eid el-Fitr, Eid al-Adha begins with a short prayer followed by a sermon (khuṭba). Eid al-Adha annually falls on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja (ذو الحجة) of the lunar Islamic calendar. The festivities last for three days or more depending on the country. Eid al-Adha occurs the day after the pilgrims conduct Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It happens to be approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan.
Tell us how you celebrate Eid al-Adha. Post a comment
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