Eid al-Adha, also called the “sacrifice feast”, which is the second of two Muslim holidays celebrated worldwide each year, and considered the holier of the two. It honors the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son, as an act of obedience to God’s command. Before he sacrificed his son God intervened by sending his angel Jibra’il, who then put a sheep in his son’s place. In commemoration of this, an animal is sacrificed and divided into three parts: the family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors; and the remaining third is given to the poor and needy.

In the Islamic lunar calendar, Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hiiah. In the international calendar, the dates vary from year to year drifting approximately 11 days earlier each year. In 2017, the Eid al-Adha falls on August 31th.

During Eid-al-Adha, men, women and children are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform Eid prayer in a large congregation in an open field called Eidgah or mosque. Affluent Muslims who can afford it sacrifice their best halal domestic animals(usually a cow, but can also be a camel, goat, sheep, or ram depending on the region) as a symbol of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only son. The sacrificed animals, called adhiya, known also by the Perso-Arabic term qurbāni, have to meet certain age and quality standards or else the animal is considered an unacceptable sacrifice.

The regular chartable practices of the Muslim community are demonstrated during Eid al-Adha by concerted efforts to see that no impoverished person is left without an opportunity to partake in the sacrificial meal during these days. During Eid-al-Adha, distributing meat amongst the people, chanting the takbir out loud before the Eid prayers on the first day and after prayers throughout the four days of Eid, are considered essential parts of this important Islamic festival. In some countries, families that do not own livestock can make a contribution to a charity that will provide meat to those who are in need.