Eid al-Adha
The Festival of
the Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha) is one of two major Islamic
celebrations and takes place on the tenth day of the Islamic
month Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar in
which millions of Muslims from around the world make an annual
pilgrimage to Makkah in order to worship
Allah and to
commemorate the willingness of the Prophet Abraham
(peace be upon him) to
sacrifice his son Ishmael in response to a command from God.
Satisfied with Abraham's devotion, God replaced Ishmael with a
sheep at the last second, and the sheep was slaughtered instead.
While pilgrims in Makkah re-enact this scene by slaughtering sheep of their own, Muslims who can afford it in the rest of the world also participate in this rite by slaughtering sheep, camels and cows. One third of the meat is distributed to the poor, one third to neighbors and relatives while one third is kept by the person who offered the sacrifice for use within his or her own family.
It is
a very happy time which is marked by special prayers, visits to
family and friends, gifts to children and, of course by food.
