Eid Al-Adha 2019 is now just around the corner, as the UAE has announced the official start for the festival of sacrifice. Muslims had their most recent holiday, Eid al Fitr, just a month ago on June 4. The date saw Muslims around the world break a 40-day fast which culminated in days of celebration and feasting. Eid Al-Adha is celebrated similarly, although it is considered the holier of the two Muslim festivals.
When is Eid al-Adha 2019?
Eid Al-Adha is celebrated on the 10th day of Dhū al-Hijjah, the 12th month on the Islamic calendar.
The festival lasts for four days and incorporates the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.
The Islamic calendar runs on the lunar cycle, so the date for Eid Al-Adha is decided each year by the International Astronomical Society.
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This year, the society has predicted Eid Al-Adha will fall on August 11 in the UAE.
The festival will then continue for four days, until August 15.
The current dates are provisional, as the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia must officially announce when the Zul Hijjah Moon is sighted.
Eid Al-Adha will also fall on a different day each year, as misalignment of the Gregorian and Islamic calendars pushes it back by 11 days.
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How do Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Adha?
Eid Al-Adha is known as the ‘festival of sacrifice’, and honours the prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his only son.
According to the Koran, God commanded Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ishmael in an act of obedience.
Just as he was about to kill Ishmael, God replaced him with a lamb and said his sacrifice was accepted.
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In honour of his act, Muslims sacrifice sheep or goats and divide the sacrifice into three meal portions.
One portion is for the needy, one for family and friends, and one is for the home.
Aside from sacrifices, Muslims will dress in their finest clothes and attend prayers at their mosque for four days.
Those who can will embark on a pilgrimage to Mecca, where the ‘Kaaba’ (house of God) resides.