{"id":1095,"date":"2012-10-26T15:23:57","date_gmt":"2012-10-26T15:23:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/religion101\/?p=1095"},"modified":"2012-10-26T15:23:57","modified_gmt":"2012-10-26T15:23:57","slug":"eid-al-adha-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/religion101\/2012\/10\/eid-al-adha-2012.html","title":{"rendered":"Eid al-Adha 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the end of the annual Hajj period fast approaching, Muslims today (as I write, Friday, October 26) are celebrating the first day of a major multi-day Islamic holiday.<\/p>\n

The conclusion of the Hajj, or pilgrimage at Mecca, is marked by the celebration of one of Islam’s two most important holiday festivals, the one known as Eid al-Adha<\/em> (\u201cFeast of Sacrifice\u201d).<\/p>\n

(The other major Islamic holiday festival, Eid al-Fitr<\/em><\/a> [“Feast of Fast-Breaking”] is celebrated at the end of the month-long fast during Ramadan, which occurred in August of this year.)<\/p>\n

Bringing to a festive yet pious conclusion the events of the annual Hajj, Eid al-Adha<\/em> is a three-day holiday celebrated not only in Mecca, but globally — by all Muslims everywhere (it\u2019s not just for the pilgrims in Mecca alone).<\/p>\n

On the Islamic lunar calendar, Eid al-Adha<\/em> always runs from the 10th to the 12th days of the lunar month of Dhu al-Hijjah<\/em>. This year, those dates coincide with Oct 26 \u2013 28, 2012 on the Western or Gregorian calendar.<\/p>\n

(Technically speaking, since the Islamic calendar reckons “days” as beginning and ending at sunset, Eid al-Adha<\/em> actually began at sunset last night, on Thursday, October 25.)<\/p>\n

Eid al-Adha<\/em>, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, commemorates the faithfulness of the patriarch Abraham (Ibrahim<\/em> in the Arabic of the Quran), who at God’s command was willing to sacrifice his own son (per the Quran, his first-born son Ishmael, rather than his younger son Isaac, as in the Bible) in a dramatic test of faith.<\/p>\n

During Eid,<\/em> Muslims worldwide will purify themselves, put on their best clothing, recite ritual prayers, and sacrifice an animal, thereby following the example set by Abraham when God substituted a ram in place of his son Ishmael as the sacrificial offering. The meat of animals sacrificed during Eid<\/em> is eaten and shared communally with others, including the poor.<\/p>\n

To Muslims everywhere, may I wish you Eid Mubarak<\/em> (Arabic for “Blessed Eid!”) and Eid Saeed<\/em> (“Happy Eid!”)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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