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Eid al-Adha is a major Islamic festival that commemorates the story of Ibrahim’s (Abraham’s) willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael (Ishmael) when Allah commanded him to. When Ibrahim showed that he would obey, Allah provided a sheep for Ibrahim to sacrifice instead.

For this reason, Eid al-Adha traditionally involves sacrificing a sheep or goat. The meat is then divided among family, friends, and those in need.

Eid al-Adha lasts for four days. Many Muslims observe the festival by dressing up, attending services at their mosque, gathering with family and friends, exchanging gifts, and making charitable donations.

Eid al-Adha occurs on the last day of Hajj, a pilgrimage that Muslims are obligated to undertake once in their lives.

Eid al-Adha can also be spelled ʾId al-Adha or Eid-ul-Adha. It’s often referred to simply as Eid. However, Eid can also refer to another festival, Eid al-Fitr, which happens at a different time. Eid al-Adha is sometimes called Big Eid, the Festival of Sacrifice, and the Great Festival.

One traditional greeting for Eid al-Adha is Eid Mubarak, roughly meaning “Happy Eid” or “Blessed Eid.”

In 2024, Eid al-Adha will begin on the evening of June 16 and end on the evening of June 19. In 2025, Eid al-Adha will begin on the evening of June 6 and end on the evening of June 9.

Eid al-Adha always begins on the tenth day of Dhu ʾl-hijjah, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, the date on which Eid al-Adha is observed varies from year to year.

The name Eid al-Adha comes from the Arabic ʿīd al-aḍḥā, meaning “festival of sacrifice.” The word Eid means “festival” or “feast.” The first records of the name Eid al-Adha used in English come from the 1700s.

The Jewish Torah and the Christian Old Testament also include a version of the story in which a sheep is sacrificed in place of a child (in these versions, the names Abraham and Isaac are used).

What are some terms that often get used in discussing Eid al-Adha?

• Eid
• Eid al-Fitr
• Dhu ʾl-hijjah
• sacrifice
• Hajj
• festival
• feast
• sheep
• goat
• holiday

Eid al-Adha is one of the two major festivals in Islam, along with Eid al-Fitr.

As a Muslim today, Friday is Eid al-Adha for us, and I am proud of that,
God willing, all Muslims in the world today and all of our friends will celebrate with us as well, in solidarity with us😃 Distributing cakes and local sweets, and distributing meat to the poor and needy😃

— #Liverpool 1Nassif ayahy (@AyahyNassif)

Anyone else’s family call Eid al-Adha, ‘big eid’ or just mine?

— North Africans United (@NABanter)

A bipartisan bill introduced in the Texas House would make it easier for state employees to celebrate Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha

— KSAT 12 (@ksatnews)

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True or False?

Eid al-Adha is the same as Eid al-Fitr.