Eid al-Adha, wey be di second major holiday for Islam, dey near. Millions of Muslims around di world go celebrate di holy day, wey dem also call Festival of Sacrifice, for di end of May dis year.
Di date of Eid al-Adha depend on Islamic calendar, wey follow di lunar cycle, so di exact timing dey determined by di sight of di moon. Many Muslims dey follow guidance set by officials for Muslim-majority countries like Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
Eid al-Adha go fall on Wednesday, May 27, dis year. Because di Islamic calendar dey follow lunar cycle, exact dates dey change depending on moon sightings each year. For Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, officials don declare Eid al-Adha as falling on May 27, according to local news reports. For some countries, dem dey celebrate Eid al-Adha for several days.
Eid al-Adha na one of two Eid holidays wey dey celebrated for Islam. Di word ‘Eid’ mean ‘festival’ or ‘feast’ for Arabic, according to University of Florida. Dem know am as Festival of Sacrifice, and e dey commemorate Prophet Abraham im willingness to sacrifice im son Ishmael afta God come to am for dream and command am to do so. God ultimately intervene, sending ram to be sacrificed for Ishmael place, according to Quran.
E dey fall during Dhul Hijjah, di final month for Islamic calendar during which Muslims dey expected to complete Hajj, di holy pilgrimage to Mecca, if dem able, according to Islamic Relief. For Islam, der be two Eid holidays: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. However, di two holidays get two separate and distinct purposes.
Eid al-Fitr, wey happen at di end of di ninth month of di Islamic calendar, dey mark di breaking of di fast. For di month wey dey lead up to Eid al-Fitr, Muslims dey observe Ramadan, period of prayer, reflection and abstinence during which dem no dey eat or drink at all during di daylight hours. Di second Eid holiday – Eid al-Adha – dey fall during di 12th month of di Islamic calendar and e dey coincide with di end of di sacred Hajj pilgrimage season.
Nearly 2 billion Muslims worldwide dey observe di final month for Islamic calendar, Dhul Hijjah, wey begin on May 18, 2026, afta di sighting of di waxing crescent moon for Saudi Arabia. During di month, many Muslims dey observe di first 10 days for worship and celebrate Eid al-Adha, while others dey plan to start dia Hajj pilgrimage for Mecca.
According to Quran, Eid al-Adha dey commemorate di Prophet Abraham im willingness to sacrifice im son, Ishmael, for di sake of God, but God stop am and send ram to be sacrificed instead. Eid al-Adha na di second major Islamic holiday of di year, wey dey take place afta Eid al-Fitr. Di Islamic calendar dey based on di lunar calendar, wey dey help determine and predict di occurrence of Islamic months and holidays.
Fasting for di first nine days of Dhul Hijjah dey strongly encouraged, according to Islamic Relief. Di fast dey end on Eid al-Adha, di 10th day of di month. E fit feel strange for Muslims wey fast di first nine days of Dhul Hijjah to eat during daylight hours, but e dey forbidden for Muslims to fast on Eid al-Adha.
Similar to Eid al-Fitr, Muslims dey wake up early for morning on Eid al-Adha to begin preparing food and dey ready to attend mandatory Eid prayers at local mosques. On Eid, Muslims go follow di way of di Prophet Muhammad, also known as Sunnah for Islam. Sunnah dey followed every day, no be only on Eid. Sunnahs on Eid include taking bath or shower for morning, wearing one best clothes and perfume, taking different path home from attending Eid prayer, or saying ‘Takbeer’ (‘Takbir’) to praise God for di way to Eid prayers.
Muslims go hug dia friends and family and greet dem with ‘Eid Mubarak,’ meaning ‘blessed festival’ for Arabic. Friends and families dey typically gather for dia homes and eat delicious food together, and children go receive money as gifts, also known as ‘Eidi.’ Specifically for Eid al-Adha, Muslims dey encouraged to participate for Qurbani. Qurbani, meaning sacrifice, na di slaughtering of permitted animal, reflecting di sacrifice wey Prophet Abraham bin ready to make.
Goats, cows, sheep, lambs and camels be some of di animals permitted to be sacrificed. E dey mandatory to give one-third of di meat to di needy. One-third go to friends and family, and di last third to oneself. Many Muslims go go slaughterhouses wey dey practice zabiha (di permissible method for Islam for slaughtering animals) for dia Qurbani sacrifice, or donate to charities with Qurbani projects wey dey give to those wey need.
Unlike Ramadan, fasting during these nine days no be mandatory. However, e dey highly encouraged to fast, as e be Sunnah (di way of di Prophet), especially on di ninth day, wey dem call Yawm al-Arafah. Muslims dey forbidden from fasting on di 10th day of Dhul Hijjah, as Eid al-Adha dey fall on di 10th day. Di first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah be time for Muslims to focus on strengthening dia faith, according to Islamic Relief.
Afta di holy month of Ramadan, these 10 days dey considered second chance during di Islamic calendar to repent and attain blessings. Di ninth day, known as Yawm al-Arafah, dey signify di day on which God perfect Islam and approve am as way of life. Muslims dey highly encouraged to fast and focus on worship on dis specific day.
During Dhul Hijjah, other Muslims wey able go perform Hajj, an obligatory spiritual journey, at di Islamic holy sites for Saudi Arabia. Hajj dey begin on di eighth day of Dhul Hijjah, lasting for five to six days, and e dey expected to fall between May 25 and 30.
