Festival of Sacrifice Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha which is generally also known as the festival of sacrifice in the Muslim community is a significant Islamic religious festival that Muslims celebrate all over the world. In Algeria, a country has a huge Muslim population, this festival is also referred as Eid el-Kbir. This Eid Is one of the two Eid festivals that Muslims celebrates all over the world which is named as Eid ul-Fitr that falls at the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Eid al-Adha is a commemoration of the Hazrat Ibrahim willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail in the obedience for Allah Almighty. According to the Islamic history,Hazrat Ibrahim was willing to sacrifice his son Ismail – who later became the forefather of the Arab community, not Isaac as recorded in the Bible’s Old Testament. As Hazrat Ibrahim was about to sacrifice his son Ismail a voice from heaven stopped him and gave him a lamb to sacrifice instead of his son Ismail.

This three-day event starts on the 10th day of the lunar month named as Dhul Hijjah according to the Islamic.Eid al-Adha is on the same Islamic calendar date but the date on the Gregorian calendar varies each year. This happens due to the fact that the Islamic calendar is lunar and it is about ten days shorter than the Gregorian solar calendar. The beginning of Eid al-Adha is the day next when the Muslim pilgrims descend from Mount Arafat at the end of Hajj. As is the fifth pillar of Islam, Hajj is a journey to Makkah situated in Saudi Arabia, an obligation that every able-bodied Muslim who can afford the expenses should do it at least once in their life.

There are numerous traditions and practices related to Eid al-Adha festival which must be observed by the followers of the Islamic religion when going for hajj with cheap hajj package. Men, children, and women dress in their new clothing and visit the Mosque to perform the Eid prayer. Those who are financially capable will sacrifice one of their prime domestic animals in commemoration of Hazrat Ibrahim’s sacrifice. This is an identity of a Muslim's willingness to make sacrifices in order to continue pleasing Allah Almighty. During sacrifice, participants recite the name of Allah Almighty along with an offering statement and prayer as a reminder that all life is divine. The meat is divided into the portions, about two-third of the meat is given to the poor people so that they can also join the feast of Eid al-Adha. The other part is given to the relatives and remaining of the meat is cooked as part of a celebration and the meal is shared with friends and family.

Muslim community across the world, look forward to Eid al-Adha as a time of worship, to participate in charitable acts as an acceptance that all blessings come from Allah Almighty and also a source to strengthen the ties with family and friends.