Eid al-Adha also known as “Feast of sacrifice” is celebrated annually by Muslims throughout the world.
Reasons for Celebrating Eid Al Adha: The holy day of Eid honors the commitment of Prophet Ibrahim (A.S) (Abraham in Bible) to sacrifice his own son Prophet Ishmael (A.S) as an act of submission to God’s (“Allah” for Muslims) command. But before he could sacrifice his son, God provided a lamb to sacrifice instead of his son. In celebration of this intervention, an animal, usually a sheep/cattle, is sacrificed ritually by Muslims globally.
The meat from the sacrificed animal will be equally divided into three parts and accordingly will be distributed. One-Third of the meat can be used for personal use; One-Third of meat should be distributed as gift to relatives, neighbors and friends; Remaining One-Third should be distributed among the poor people from the community.
Common acts performed by Muslims during the Eid day:
- Perform Full-Ablution (In Arabic, Ghusl): This is performed by all Muslims before going to the Eid prayer.
- Offer the Eid Prayer at Mosque: It is obligatory for men to visit the mosque and offer the special Eid prayer. For women they have the choice to offer the prayer at home or they can visit the mosque if they want. Special arrangements are made for Eid prayer in this pandemic situation in Saudi Arabia. Social distancing measures have been introduced for worshipers during the Eid prayer. Limited number of people can visit the mosque, and it is obligatory for everyone to wear the face masks and bring their own prayer mat. A physical distance of 2 meters (As described by the WHO) between each two worshipers are maintained in every mosque.
- Eat the breakfast after the Eid prayer: Usually, breakfast will be eaten after offering the Eid prayer and it is recommended to eat from the sacrifice animal.
- Wear the best clothes: It is advised for Muslims to wear the best/nicest clothes on this special Eid day.
- Praise the God (Allah for Muslims) by continuously reciting the takbeer and thanks God for all the blessings.
- Exchange well wishes with family, relatives, and friends.
Local Culture (Saudi Arabian Perspective) on the Eid day:
- Eid Al Adha is usually celebrated for a period of three days and holidays will be declared for all employees working in both public and private organizations.
- Locals usually prefers spending these days with their family members and here in Khobar city they can be seen doing a lot of fun activities such as relaxing near the corniche (seafront) areas, doing barbecue, surf fishing, flying kites and desert driving.
- Maamoul Cookies (Date Filled Cookies) is the favorite snack during the Eid days. The cookies can be seen everywhere in the bakeries, grocery stores and sweet shops. It is common to see the families exchanging this cookie as gifts.
