Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى, "festival of the sacrifice") is the second of the two major Islamic holidays. It honors the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son in obedience to God, and coincides with the conclusion of the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.
The holiday commemorates the Qur'anic narrative (Surah As-Saffat 37:99-111) in which Ibrahim was commanded to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ishmael). When he prepared to do so, God replaced the boy with a ram. Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic calendar, and lasts 3-4 days. It commences immediately after the standing-at-Arafat day (Yawm Arafah) of Hajj.
Muslims who can afford to do so perform Qurban — sacrificing a sheep, goat, cow, or camel — with one-third of the meat going to family, one-third to friends, and one-third to the poor. The day begins with congregational Eid prayer. New clothes are worn, and family visits are common. In Indonesia, the meat is butchered and distributed via the mosque in well-organized neighborhood drives.
Mutton biryani, lamb kebabs, gulai kambing, rendang, mansaf (Jordan), bakra biryani (South Asia), seleq (Saudi Arabia). Sweet dishes include sevaiyan, baklava, and date-based pastries.
"Eid Mubarak" · "Selamat Hari Raya Haji" · "Eid Saeed" · "تقبل الله منا ومنكم"
Eid al-Adha is a 1-4 day public holiday across the Muslim world. Saudi Arabia and Gulf states observe up to a week. In Indonesia, schools close for several days. Streets near mosques can be active early morning for sacrifices.