Today is the final day of Eid al-Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice. One of two major Muslim holidays, Eid al-Adha is celebrated for three to four days each year.
Fast Facts
- Muslims worldwide celebrate two holidays called Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Each holiday celebrates sacrifices made for the Lord
- Eid al-Fitr celebrates Muslims who sacrifice food and drinks during the month of Ramadan
- Eid al-Adha celebrates the sacrifice Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim in Islam) made with his son Prophet Ishmael (Ismaill in Islam)
- According to the Quran, Abraham was commanded by God to sacrifice his son for the Lord. Although Abraham didn’t understand why, he and Ishmael cided to obey the Lord anyways
- Right before Abraham sacrificed his son, God commanded Abraham to stop and gave him a sheep to sacrifice instead. Muslims believe this was a test of trust and obedience from God, and remember it as an example of sacrifice each year
- To commemorate Abraham’s story, each Eid al-Adha, Muslims recreate part of the story by sacrificing an animal for consumption, that is divided into thirds
- One-third can be kept, but the other two-thirds go to charity and loved ones
- Leading up to Eid, Muslims spend nine days before dedicating extra time to prayers, devotion, and charity
- Eid is celebrated for three days, and each day is spent with loved ones, gifts, feasts, attending the mosque, prayers, and remembrance for the holiday
- Different cultures also celebrate Eid with different traditions. A common tradition in the U.S. is shopping for new clothes the day before to wear to an Eid mosque service the next day
- Eid correlates with the third day of Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca, that all able Muslims believe they’re required to attend once in their life
- The last day of Hajj also correlates with the last day of Eid
- Eid al-Adha always falls on the 10th day of the 12th Islamic month, but the actual date changes each year because the Islamic calande doesn’t align with the Gregorian calendar used in the U.S.
If you’re celebrating Eid, we hope you had a wonderful celebration. From the team at the Auburn Examiner, we wish you Eid Mubarak on this final day of Eid!