Abuja, Nigeria
E don happen! One of the biggest Islamic festivals, Eid al-Adha, go land on June 6 dis year. E be like say everybody don dey prepare for dis big celebration— Muslims wey dey follow the roughly 1.8 billion population for world dey look forward to am. Wetin dey sup for inside Hajj too? Na wetin we go talk about today.
Eid al-Adha, wey dem dey call ‘Festival of Sacrifice,’ na serious matter for Muslims. E be like jollof rice on top di table, every Muslim dey ready to chop meat from di animals wey dem go sacrifice. Na di 10th day for Dhu al-Hijjah, di 12th month for di Islamic lunar calendar. Carry your mind for self, as di date dey change based on di sight of moon. But this year, na June 6 wey we go see dem dey celebrate am.
Abraham (or Ibrahim, as we sabi am for Arabic) na di key gist for dis celebration. You sabi di one wey fit break any padi heart—when him prepare to sacrifice him pikin, Ismael, for God? But God con provide lamb instead. Na from here, di idea of sacrifice dey come. Muslims dey carry sheep, goat, or even camel wey dem go chop and share meat, dey enjoy demself with family and friends during di celebration.
Dis year, Hajj don begin from June 4 to June 9. Hajj na di pilgrimage wey all Muslims wey fit afford am suppose to do once in him life. Pilgrims dey gather for Mecca, di holiest city for Islam. As dem dey go, plenty rituals dey happen, especially di Day of Arafah wey come June 5, where everybody dey pray for forgiveness and reflect on wetin dem believe.
But let’s dey talk about di food wey dey happen during Eid. Picture dis: rice wey dey cover with pieces of lamb, sweet sauce, and plenty laughter. Many people dey prepare big pots of meat stews and smoke joints, while di sweet treats dey follow like ‘Zinab’s fingers’ and ‘knafeh’ (no be only your mouth go dey water, even your eyes go dey shine!). E go sweet, no be small!
As we dey prepare for dis celebration, e go good make everybody remember di spirit of charity. E no dey too much to give to di less fortunate. Dis na reminder say as we dey celebrate, we suppose carry others along. For many places, Eid na public holiday; but for UK and US, e no be so straightforward—some areas fit still hold celebrations.
In di end, Eid al-Adha and Hajj na time for unity, reflection, and di show of love for God and each other. So, as we dey count down to di celebrations, make sure say you de ready with your new clothes, fine food, and well-prepared heart. Dis year, e go better pass last year! You don ready to join di joy?
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