Muslims around the world will celebrate the annual Eid al-Adha festival, the Festival of Sacrifice, which is celebrated on the tenth day of Dhul Hijjah, the twelfth and last month of the Muslim lunar calendar..
Eid al-Adha is the second most important Muslim festival after Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting.
The occasion will be held in most countries on Friday, July 31.
As the coronavirus pandemic breaks out, many Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Algeria, have announced restrictions on public gatherings.
Here are five things you should know about Eid al-Adha:
origins
Muslims believe that the Prophet Ibrahim (or Abraham) was tested by God, who ordered him to sacrifice his only son, Ismail (Isaac).
Ibrahim was prepared to submit to the order, but God stopped his hand. Instead, the prophet was asked to slaughter an animal, probably a lamb or sheep.
The Torah and the Old Testament tell a similar version of this story.
End of Hajj
The event also marks the end of Hajj, a five-day pilgrimage that all Muslims without disabilities are required to undertake once in their lives to cleanse the soul of sins and instill a sense of equality, brotherhood and brotherhood.
Some 2.5 million pilgrims from around the world come to the cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia each year for the ritual.
This year, however, Saudi Arabia announced that it would celebrate a “very limited” Hajj due to the coronavirus pandemic, with only about 10,000 people living in the kingdom allowed to participate in the pilgrimage.
Muslims pray at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia in 2019 [File: Waleed Ali/Reuters]
Eid Prayers
Performing additional prayers in the morning is how most Muslims begin to celebrate Eid.
Mosques are filled with worshipers with external arrangements made to accommodate large groups of people.
This year, however, mosques will limit the number of attendees, and large congregations in many countries will be banned to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Sacrifice an animal
The occasion is marked by the sacrifice of an animal, a goat, a sheep, a cow, or a camel, by those who can afford to do so.
In many parts of the Muslim world, livestock markets are created for people to buy an animal for Eid slaughter.
This year, amid the coronavirus pandemic, numerous applications and websites have appeared in countries such as India and Bangladesh, where animals will be sold online to limit exposure to the virus.
A cattle seller waits for customers in New Delhi, India, before Eid al-Adha [Jewel Samad/AFP]
Meat distribution
The meat of the slaughtered animal is divided into three main groups: you, your family and friends, and the poor and needy.
Various Muslim charities around the world raise funds before and during Eid to help provide meat to the disadvantaged, including refugees, the elderly, and disabled people.
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