18 May 2027
All States Regional holiday | Tuesday |
Eid-Al-Adha or Bakrid is the holiest of Islamic festivals. It commemorates the willingness of Ibrahim to follow Allahs command to sacrifice his son. Muslims around the world observe this event and India observes grand celebrations of this festival all across the country. According to legends, Ibrahim, known as Abraham according to Christianity and Judaism, was commanded by God to sacrifice his adult son. He obeyed and took his son Ishmael to Mount Moriah. Just as he was to sacrifice his son, an angel stopped him and gave him a ram to sacrifice in place of his son. Some people believe that the son of sacrifice was Isaac. These events are remembered and celebrated as Eid al-Adha.
At Eid al-Adha, many Muslims make a special effort to pray and listen to a sermon at a mosque. They also wear new clothes, visit family members and friends, and symbolically sacrifice an animal in an act known as Qurbani. This represents the ram that Ibrahim sacrificed in the place of his son. In some traditionally Muslim countries, families or groups of families may purchase an animal known as udhiya, usually a goat or sheep, to sacrifice, but this is not legal in many parts of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States or any other western and European countries. In these countries, groups of people may purchase a whole carcass from a slaughterhouse and divide it amongst themselves or just buy generous portions of meat for a communal meal on Eid-al-Adha. People also give money to enable poorer members of their local community and around the world to eat a meat-based meal.
In the time around Eid al-Adha, many Muslims travel to Mecca and the surrounding area in Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. Tours and holidays are organized in many countries to Mecca. Muslims plan and save for many years to enable them to take part in this event, which is one of the five pillars of Islam.