What does the holiday of Eid al-Adha and its traditions mean?

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Traditionally, in the last month of summer, many Muslim believers celebrate one of the most important Islamic celebrations - Eid al-Adha. What kind of holiday is this and how is it customary to celebrate it? What is the ancient history of the most revered Muslim celebration?

What a holiday

The name Eid al-Adha is translated as “the holiday of the sacrifice”. The essence of the celebration lies in the fact that every believer must prove his true faith in the one God Allah.

According to the belief, several centuries ago the angel Jabrail appeared to the prophet Ibrahim (in the biblical tradition as Abraham) in a dream and told him the will of Allah. Ibrahim had to sacrifice his eldest son Ismail to Allah.

Not daring to oppose the will of Allah, Ibrahim was ready to kill his son. To this end, he went to the Mina Valley. Seeing the invincibility of Ibrahim, Allah was convinced of his unshakable faith and sent the angel Jibrail to him.

As a substitute, the angel suggested that the prophet sacrifice a ram instead of his son. For sincere faith and devotion to the Prophet, Allah gave his son life.

Due to the events that took place several centuries ago, the holiday got its name Eid al-Adha, in simple words - the celebration of the sacrifice. Hence the Muslim tradition of sacrificing a live ram or other animal, "pure" from the point of view of Islam (camel, cow, etc.).

Celebration traditions

Traditionally, the celebration is celebrated on the last day of the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mount Arafat in Mecca, where Ibrahim made his first sacrifice to Allah. Eid al-Adha begins on the 71st day after the end of Eid al-Adha (celebration of the end of fasting in Ramadan).

But not all Muslim believers make the pilgrimage to Mount Arafat. In this regard, according to the canons of Islam, it is necessary wherever Muslims are to perform the main part of the rite. A pilgrimage to Mecca should be performed at least once in a lifetime by every person who believes in Allah.

Muslims prepare very carefully for the holiday, observing fasting for ten days, and spend the whole night on the eve of Eid al-Adha in prayers. In the morning they perform a full ablution and put on clean and always festive clothes.

After that, the believers go to the nearest mosque to read the Koran and listen to the sermons of the imam. Namaz is performed in every mosque.

After the completion of the obligatory prayer in the mosque and before sunset, the main part of Eid al-Adha is performed - the sacrifice. For this, a ram or a camel, a buffalo, a cow and even a goat are most often prepared.

This rite has certain strict rules that must be adhered to:

• If a camel is being prepared for sacrifice, then it must be no more than five years old. The cow or buffalo must be two years old, and the rams must be one year old.
• Animals that go to the sacrifice should not have visible defects and any diseases that spoil the meat.
• Before being killed, the animal is thrown to the ground, while its head should be directed towards Mecca.
• According to ancient tradition, all meat of a sacrificed animal should be divided into three equal parts. After the perfect ceremony, the first part is taken by the owner of the house, and all the rest must be distributed to the poor and needy without fail.
• According to beliefs on Eid al-Adha, the hosts should receive guests, and their houses are opened wide for passers-by.
• In addition to meat, those who are allowed funds give out gold to the poor as alms, since Kurba Bayram is a celebration that calls on believers to be generous and merciful. A ritual treat for all poor and needy people is sadaqa.

Housewives prepare many dishes during the holiday, cook on a fire or bake a sacrificial lamb in the oven, serve all kinds of dishes from the heart and liver of the animal. Fresh or baked vegetables and boiled rice are usually served as a side dish.

Also on this day, delicious desserts are prepared for tea, giving preference to raisins, nuts, dried fruits and all kinds of sweets with almond milk.

How many days does it last

In 2020, the holiday falls on July 31. But according to the tradition, Eid al-Adha begins with a night prayer. Therefore, on the night of July 30, the celebration will begin. It is celebrated for three consecutive days.

Many residents of the Russian Federation know what kind of holiday Eid al-Adha is, since it is one of the most revered among Muslims. The first day of the celebration in Russia was adopted as an official day off. It is celebrated in many regions of the country where the majority of the population is Muslim.

Summarize

1. Eid al-Adha is one of the most revered celebrations among Orthodox Muslims.
2. A key part of the holiday is the sacrifice of a ram (camel, buffalo, cow or goat).
3. The sacrificed animal is divided into three parts - one is taken by the head of the house, the rest are given to poor people.
4. Eid al-Adha is celebrated for three days. During its celebration, it is important to visit the mosque and read the Koran.