Cultural aspects in Christian and Islamic religions - unesdoc - Unesco

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‘Id al-Adha
Just like ‘Id al-Fitr is linked with the end of the obligatory
duty of fasting, ‘Id al-‘Adha is linked with the obligatory
duty of pilgrimage to Mecca 14 . It occurs after Muslims
descend from Mount ‘Arafa in Mecca, at the end of
Pilgrimage (Hajj), where Muslim pilgrims, like other
Muslims all around the world, would have spent the ten
days of the month of Dhu-l-Hijjah praying, fasting, and
doing good deeds.
‘Id al-Adha is the tenth day of the month of Dhu-l-Hijjah.
It is called the “Festival of Sacrifice”. It is a religious festival
to commemorate the willingness of Abraham (A.S.)
to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to
God. Pilgrims offer a sacrifice called udhiya, which is an
obligatory duty during Pilgrimage, commemorating how
God provided a ram in place of Ishmael once Abraham
demonstrated his willingness to follow God‘s commands.
Most Muslims –pilgrims and non-pilgrims- offer a sacrifice,
then the family eats from the meat of the sacrifice on the
day of al-‘Id, and they distribute to neighbors and to the
poor, although this is not obligatory as they did not go on
Pilgrimage.
Prayer for ‘Id al-Adha and ‘Id al-Fitr is similar. The khatib
usually deals with the Holiday and its meaning. He
speaks about ‘Id al-Fitr and about fasting although this
is not necessary, and he may suggest any religious
subject or deal with any social concept that is related
to the occasion or not. Muslims have the same popular
traditions in celebrating ‘Id al-‘Adha as the ones
celebrating ‘Id al-Fitr with two additions:
First: the sacrifices: Muslims who can afford it offer
sacrifices and distribute them to the needy and poor.
Second: Often people prepare special decorations to
welcome the Pilgrims – usually with palm branches – at
the entrance of homes. With the palm branches, Muslims
symbolize the land of Hijaz, the site of the Islamic holy cities
of Mecca and Medina, where one finds many palm trees.
14 see page 139.