Eid al-Fitr took place this year in May and June, in a celebration which marked the end of Ramadan.
When is Eid al-Adha?
Eid al-Adha this year will begin on August 21 and end on August 25.
The definite date depends on the sighting of the new moon, as the Islamic calendar is based around the lunar calendar.
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Eid al-Adha is held at the end of the Hajj pilgrimage and sees family and friends gather for feasts, gift-giving and prayers.
What is Hajj and how is it celebrated?
Hajj is an annual pilgrimage to Mecca and is associated with the life of Islamic prophet Muhammad.
This year Hajj, will begin on Sunday, August 19, and end on Friday, August 24.
Mecca was the birthplace of Muhammad and is regarded as the holiest city in Islam.
The tradition involved thousands of Muslims travelling to Mecca for the week of the Hajj in order to undertake a series of rituals.
It is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be undertaken at least once in their lives, for all those fit and able.
Rituals carried out during Hajj include:
– Walking counter-clockwise around the Kaaba – a cube-shaped building and the direction of prayer for Muslims
– Runs between the hills of Safa and Marwah
– Drinking from the Zamzam Well
– Spend a night in the plain of Muzdalifa
– Throwing stones at three pillars to stone the devil
Then the pilgrims shave their heads, perform an animal sacrifice and celebrate Eid al-Adha.
The reason for the animal sacrifice is to represent the task Ibrahim was asked to undertake by Allah.
Ibrahim – also known as Abraham – had to sacrifice his son to prove his obedience to God, but upon taking a blade to his son Allah provided a goat to be sacrificed instead.
In commemoration of this, animals are sacrificed and the meat split into three parts.
One third is donated to those who are needy, the second third to relatives, friends and neighbours and the remainder is shared by the family.