View source for Eid al-Adha

{{Short description|Islamic holiday}}
{{Hatnote|For the Eid after Ramadan, see [[Eid al-Fitr]]. For other uses, see [[Eid (disambiguation)]].}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox holiday
| holiday_name  = Eid al-Adha
| image         = Eid al adha compilation.jpg
| caption       = From top: ''[[Eid prayers|Bayram Namazı]]'' in [[Istanbul]]; [[Qurban (Islamic ritual sacrifice)|Qurbani]] on Egyptian market; Feast in [[Ahvaz]], Iran; [[Muslims|Muslim]] children receiving [[Eidi (gift)|Eidi]]; Moroccan sheep prepared for sacrifice; Eid prayer in Albania
| observedby    = [[Muslims]]
| type          = [[Islamic holidays|Islamic]]
| significance  = {{ubl|{{Longitem|Commemoration of [[Abraham in Islam|Abraham]]'s [[Binding_of_Isaac#Muslim_views|willingness to sacrifice his son]] in obedience to [[Allah in Islam|God]]'s command}}|{{Longitem|End of the annual [[Hajj]] in [[Mecca]] for pilgrims}}}}
| date2025      = 6 June – 9 June (West Asia, Europe, North America)<br />7 June – 10 June (North Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia)<ref>{{Cite web |title=مركز الفلك الدولي {{!}} International Astronomical Center (IAC) |url=https://astronomycenter.net/icop/hej46.html?l=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318181031/https://astronomycenter.net/icop/hej46.html?l=en |archive-date=18 March 2025 |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=astronomycenter.net |url-status=live }}</ref>
| date2026      = 27 May – 30 May
| observances   = 
| relatedto     = [[Hajj]], [[Eid al-Fitr]]
| alt           = 
| nickname      = The Major Festival
| litcolor      = 
| celebrations  = [[Eid prayers]],  [[Qurban (Islamic ritual sacrifice)|sacrificing animals]],  gift-giving ([[Eidi (gift)|Eidi]]), festive meals, family and social gatherings, symbolic decoration, charity
| date          = 10–13 [[Dhu al-Hijjah]]
| weekday       = 
| month         = 
| scheduling    = 
| duration      = 4 days
| frequency     = 
| firsttime     = 
| startedby     = 
| image_size    = 250px
}}
{{Islamic Culture}}
'''Eid al-Adha'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˌ|iː|d|_|əl|_|ˈ|ɑː|d|ə|,_|-|_|ˈ|ɑː|d|h|ɑː}} {{respell|EED|_|əl|_|AH|də|,_-_|AHD|hah}}; {{langx|ar|عيد الأضحى|ʿĪd al-ʾAḍḥā}}, {{IPA|ar|ʕiːd al ˈʔadˤħaː|IPA}}.}} ({{Langx|ar|عيد الأضحى|translit=ʿĪd al-ʾAḍḥā|lit=Feast of Sacrifice}}) is the second of the two main [[Islamic holidays|festivals in Islam]] alongside [[Eid al-Fitr]]. It falls on the 10th of [[Dhu al-Hijja]], the twelfth and final month of the [[Islamic calendar]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Eid al-Adha {{!}} Meaning, Observances, & Traditions |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eid-al-Adha |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en |date=11 March 2025}}</ref> Celebrations and observances are generally carried forward to the three following days, known as the Tashreeq days.

Eid al-Adha, depending on country and language is also called the Greater or Large Eid ({{langx|ar|العيد الكبير|al-ʿĪd al-Kabīr|links=no}}).<ref name="Metro2020-07-31-01a">{{cite web |last1=Haigh |first1=Phil |date=31 July 2020 |title=What is the story of Eid al-Adha and why is it referred to as Big Eid? |url=https://metro.co.uk/2018/08/21/why-eid-ul-adha-referred-big-eid-7865194/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923074640/https://metro.co.uk/2018/08/21/why-eid-ul-adha-referred-big-eid-7865194/ |archive-date=2020-09-23 |access-date=25 April 2021 |website=Metro |language=en |quote=Simply, Eid al-Adha is considered the holier of the two religious holidays and so it is referred to as 'Big Eid' while Eid al Fitr can be known as 'Lesser Eid'. Eid al-Kabir means 'Greater Eid' and is used in Yemen, Syria, and North Africa, while other translations of 'Large Eid' are used in Pashto, Kashmiri, Urdu and Hindi. This distinction is also known in the Arab world, but by calling 'Bari Eid' bari, this Eid is already disadvantaged. It is the 'other Eid'. 'Bari Eid', or Eid-ul-Azha, has the advantage of having two major rituals, as both have the prayer, but it alone has a sacrifice. 'Bari Eid' brings all Muslims together in celebrating Hajj, which is a reminder of the Abrahamic sacrifice, while 'Choti Eid' commemorates solely the end of the fasting of Ramazan.}}</ref> As with Eid al-Fitr, the [[Salah#Friday and Eid prayers|Eid prayer]] is performed on the morning of Eid al-Adha, after which the ''[[udhiyah]]'' or the ritual sacrifice of a livestock animal, is performed. In Islamic tradition, it honours the willingness of [[Abraham in Islam|Abraham]] to [[Binding of Isaac#Muslim views|sacrifice his son]] as an act of obedience to [[God in Islam|God]]'s command. Depending on the narrative, either [[Ishmael in Islam|Ishmael]] or [[Isaac in Islam|Isaac]] are referred to with the honorific title "''Sacrifice of God''".<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O69zjVnjL10C&dq=Others+refer+to+either+Isaac+or+Ishmael+with+the+honorific+title+(+laqab+)+%22+Sacrifice+of+God+%22+attached+to+the+name.&pg=PA140 | title=Journeys in Holy Lands: The Evolution of the Abraham-Ishmael Legends in Islamic Exegesis | isbn=978-0-7914-0331-0 | last1=Firestone | first1=Reuven | date=January 1990 | publisher=SUNY Press }}</ref> Pilgrims performing the [[Hajj]] typically perform the [[tawaf]] and [[saee]] of Hajj on Eid al-Adha, along with the ritual [[stoning of the Devil]] on the Eid day and the following days.

==Etymology==
The [[Arabic]] word {{lang|ar|عيد}} ({{lang|ar-Latn|ʿīd}}) means 'festival', 'celebration', 'feast day', or 'holiday'. The word {{lang|ar|عيد}} is a [[Semitic root|triliteral root]] (''ʕ-y-d''), with associated root meanings of "to go back, to rescind, to accrue, to be accustomed, habits, to repeat, to be experienced; appointed time or place, anniversary, feast day".<ref name="Oxford Arabic Dictionary">{{cite book |title=Oxford Arabic Dictionary |date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-958033-0}}</ref><ref name="Brill">{{cite book |last1=Badawi |first1=Elsaid M. |last2=Abdel Haleem |first2=Muhammad |title=Arabic–English Dictionary of Qur'anic Usage |date=2008 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |isbn=978-90-04-14948-9}}</ref> [[Arthur Jeffery]] contested this etymology, and believed the term to have been borrowed into Arabic from [[Syriac language|Syriac]], or less likely [[Aramaic#Targumic|Targumic Aramaic]].<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book |last1=Jeffery |first1=Arthur |title=The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qur'ān |date=2007 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |isbn=978-90-04-15352-3}}</ref>

The holiday is called {{lang|ar|عيد الأضحى}} ({{lang|ar-Latn|Eid-al-Adha}}) or {{lang|ar|العيد الكبير}} ({{lang|ar-Latn|Eid-al-Kabir}}) in Arabic.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Noakes|first=Greg|date=April–May 1992|title=Issues in Islam, All About Eid|url=http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/0492/9204074.html|magazine=Washington Report on Middle East Affairs|access-date=28 December 2011}}</ref> The words {{lang|ar|أضحى}} ({{lang|ar-Latn|aḍḥā}}) and {{lang|ar|قربان}} ({{lang|ar-Latn|qurbān}}) are synonymous in meaning 'sacrifice' (animal sacrifice), 'offering' or 'oblation'. The first word comes from the triliteral root {{lang|ar|ضحى}} ({{lang|ar-Latn|ḍaḥḥā}}) with the associated meanings "immolate; offer up; sacrifice; victimize".<ref name="Almaany">{{cite web |last1=Team |first1=Almaany |title=Translation and Meaning of ضحى In English, English Arabic Dictionary of terms Page 1 |url=http://www.almaany.com/en/dict/ar-en/%D8%B6%D8%AD%D9%89/ |website=almaany.com |access-date=26 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826144402/https://www.almaany.com/en/dict/ar-en/%25D8%25B6%25D8%25AD%25D9%2589/ |archive-date=26 August 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> No occurrence of this root with a meaning related to sacrifice occurs in the Qur'an<ref name="Oxford Arabic Dictionary"/> but in the Hadith literature. Assyrians and other Middle Eastern Christians use the term to mean the [[Sacramental bread|Eucharistic host]]. The second word derives from the triliteral root {{wikt-lang |1=ar |2=&rlm;ق ر ب&lrm; |3=&rlm;قرب&lrm; }} ({{lang|ar-Latn|qaraba}}) with associated meanings of "closeness, proximity... to moderate; kinship...; to hurry; ...to seek, to seek water sources...; scabbard, sheath; small boat; sacrifice".<ref name="Brill"/> [[Arthur Jeffery]] recognizes the same Semitic root, but believes the sense of the term to have entered Arabic through [[Aramaic]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Eid al-Adha is pronounced ''Eid al-Azha'' and ''Eidul Azha'', primarily in Iran and influenced by the Persian language, in the Indian subcontinent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition of Eid al-Adha {{!}} Dictionary.com |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/eid-al-adha |access-date=2021-07-20 |website=www.dictionary.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Origin==

One of the main trials of [[Abraham in Islam|Abraham]]'s life was to receive and obey the command of God to slaughter his beloved son, Ishmael. According to the narrative, Abraham kept having dreams that he was sacrificing his son. Abraham knew that this was a command from God. He told his son, as stated in the Quran,{{Blockquote|1=<poem>"Oh son, I keep dreaming that I am slaughtering you". he replied, "Father, do what you are ordered to do."</poem>|2={{qref|37|102|c=y}} }} Abraham prepared to submit to the will of God and to slaughter his son as an act of faith and obedience to God.<ref name="Bate">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/anexaminationcl00bategoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/anexaminationcl00bategoog/page/n40 2]|quote=Ishmael sacrifice.|title=An Examination of the Claims of Ismail as Viewed by Muḥammadans|year=1884|last1=Bate|first1=John Drew|publisher=BiblioBazaar|access-date=27 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206073851/https://archive.org/details/anexaminationcl00bategoog|archive-date=6 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Firestone |first1=Reuven |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O69zjVnjL10C&dq=Others+refer+to+either+Isaac+or+Ishmael+with+the+honorific+title+(+laqab+)+%22+Sacrifice+of+God+%22+attached+to+the+name.&pg=PA140 |title=Journeys in Holy Lands: The Evolution of the Abraham-Ishmael Legends in Islamic Exegesis |date=January 1990 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-0-7914-0331-0}}</ref> During the preparation, [[Iblis]] (Satan) tempted Abraham and his family by trying to dissuade them from carrying out God's commandment, and Abraham drove Iblis away by throwing pebbles at him. In commemoration of their rejection of Iblis, stones are thrown during Hajj rites at symbolic pillars, symbolising the place at which Iblis tried to dissuade Abraham.<ref name="SUNY">{{cite book |last1=Firestone |first1=Reuven |title=Journeys in Holy Lands: The Evolution of the -Ishmael Legends in Islamic Exegesis |date=1990 |publisher=SUNY Press |page=98 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O69zjVnjL10C&q=Ishmael+sacrifice&pg=PA105|isbn=978-0791403310 }}</ref>

Acknowledging that Abraham was willing to sacrifice what was dear to him, God honoured both Abraham and his son. The Angel [[Gabriel in Islam|Gabriel]] (Jibreel) proclaimed, "O Ibrahim, you have fulfilled the revelations," and a ram from heaven was offered by Angel Gabriel to prophet Abraham to slaughter instead of his son. Many Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha to commemorate both the devotion of Abraham and the survival of his son Ishmael.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://muslim.sg/articles/the-significance-of-hari-raya-aidiladha?type=articles|title=The Significance of Hari Raya Aidiladha|website=muslim.sg|access-date=17 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614130509/https://muslim.sg/articles/the-significance-of-hari-raya-aidiladha?type=articles|archive-date=14 June 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Elias">{{cite book|last=Elias|first=Jamal J.|author-link=Jamal J. Elias|title=Islam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oBNJxemMwQwC|access-date=24 October 2012|year=1999|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-21165-9|page=75|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610080506/https://books.google.com/books?id=oBNJxemMwQwC|archive-date=10 June 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Muslim Information Service of Australia |url=http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/eidaladha.htm |title=Eid al – Adha Festival of Sacrifice |publisher=Missionislam.com |access-date=28 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111208045904/http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/eidaladha.htm |archive-date=8 December 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

This story is known as the [[Binding of Isaac|Akedah]] in Judaism (Binding of [[Isaac]]) and originates in the [[Torah]],<ref name="Stephan Huller">{{cite book|last1=Stephan Huller |first1=Stephan|title=The Real Messiah: The Throne of St. Mark and the True Origins of Christianity |date=2011 |publisher=Watkins; Reprint edition |isbn=978-1907486647 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A1zPmHHylo0C&q=as+the+Akedah+in+Judaism+%28Binding+of+Isaac%29+and+originates+in+the+Tora%2C&pg=PT57}}</ref> in the first book of Moses ([[Book of Genesis|Genesis]], Ch. 22). The Akedah is referred to in the Quran in its 37th [[surah]], [[As-Saaffat]].<ref name="Wiley-Blackwell">{{cite book |last1=Fasching |first1=Darrell J. |last2=deChant |first2=Dell |title=Comparative Religious Ethics: A Narrative Approach to Global Ethics |date=2011 |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |isbn=978-1444331332 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t3CoAPdxNK0C&q=Quran%2C+surah+37+%28As-Saffat%29+sacrifice+Isaac&pg=PT344}}</ref>

The word "Eid" appears once in [[Al-Ma'ida]], the fifth surah of the Quran, with the meaning "a festival or a feast".<ref>{{qref|5|114|b=y|t=c}}— Jesus, son of Mary, prayed, "O Allah, our Lord! Send us from heaven a table spread with food as a feast for us—the first and last of us—and as a sign from You. Provide for us! You are indeed the Best Provider."
{{qref|5|114|b=y|t=si}}— Said Jesus, the son of Mary, "O Allāh, our Lord, send down to us a table [spread with food] from the heaven to be for us a festival for the first of us and the last of us and a sign from You. And provide for us, and You are the best of providers."</ref>

==Observances==
{{See also|Salah#Friday and Eid prayers|Eid cuisine|Eidi (gift)}}
[[File:The Badshahi in all its glory during the Eid Prayers.JPG|thumb|Eid prayer at the [[Badshahi Mosque]] in [[Lahore]], Pakistan]]
When preceding Eid al-Adha and during the Eid and Tashreeq days, Muslims recite the [[takbir]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Eid Takbeers&nbsp;– Takbir of Id |url=http://www.islamawareness.net/Eid/takbeers.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219223210/http://www.islamawareness.net/Eid/takbeers.html |archive-date=19 February 2012 |access-date=28 December 2011 |publisher=Islamawareness.net}}</ref><ref name="McKernan">{{cite web |last1=McKernan |first1=Bethan |date=29 August 2017 |title=Eid al-Adha 2017: When is it? Everything you need to know about the Muslim holiday |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/eid-al-adha-2017-when-is-it-muslim-holiday-sacrifice-feast-islam-august-5-days-september-a7918006.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809124658/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/eid-al-adha-2017-when-is-it-muslim-holiday-sacrifice-feast-islam-august-5-days-september-a7918006.html |archive-date=9 August 2019 |access-date=28 July 2018 |website=.independent}}</ref> Like on Eid al-Fitr, the Eid prayer is performed on Eid al-Adha any time after sunrise and before the [[Zuhr prayer]]. In the event of a ''[[force majeure]],'' the prayer may be delayed to the day after or the second day after Eid.<ref name="H. X. Lee">{{cite book |last1=H. X. Lee |first1=Jonathan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=taNZCgAAQBAJ&q=time+of+Eid+al-Adha+prayer+sun+completely+rises+up&pg=PA357 |title=Asian American Religious Cultures [2 volumes] |date=2015 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1598843309 |page=357}}</ref> The Eid prayer is followed by a [[khutbah]] (sermon).<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 May 2020 |title=Eid ul-Fitr 2020: How to say Eid prayers |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/eid-ul-fitr-2020-how-to-say-the-eid-prayer/story-FzDmjfNroBpSUPtpoUNtKO.html |access-date=2020-08-01 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref> At the conclusion of the prayers and sermon, Muslims embrace and exchange gifts and greetings with one another, such as the phrase [[Eid Mubarak]]. Many Muslims also take this opportunity to invite their friends, neighbours and colleagues to the festivities to better acquaint them about Islam and [[Muslim culture]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Significance of Eid |url=http://www.isna.net/Islam/pages/The-Significance-of-Eid.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126043633/http://www.isna.net/Islam/pages/The-Significance-of-Eid.aspx |archive-date=26 January 2013 |access-date=28 December 2011 |publisher=Isna.net}}</ref>[[File:Eid_Blessings_WDL6855.png|thumb|right|Arabic calligraphic fragment dated to the early 18th century displaying blessings for Eid al-Adha]]

=== Udhiyah ===
{{main|Qurban (Islamic ritual sacrifice)}}
After the Eid prayer, [[udhiyah]], or the ritual sacrifice of cattle, is performed. Muslims who can afford it sacrifice [[halal]] cattle, usually a camel, goat, sheep, or ram, as a symbol of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son.<ref name="Ekrem">{{cite web |last1=Buğra Ekinci |first1=Ekrem |title=Qurban Bayram: How do Muslims celebrate a holy feast? |url=https://www.dailysabah.com/feature/2015/09/24/qurban-bayram-how-do-muslims-celebrate-a-holy-feast |website=dailysabah |date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728101309/https://www.dailysabah.com/feature/2015/09/24/qurban-bayram-how-do-muslims-celebrate-a-holy-feast |archive-date=28 July 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Id al-Adha |url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e969 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410065901/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e969 |archive-date=10 April 2019 |access-date=2020-07-11 |publisher=Oxford Islamic Studies Online}}</ref> The animals have to meet certain age and quality standards to be considered for sacrifice.<ref name="CABI">{{cite book |last1=Cussen |first1=V. |last2=Garces |first2=L. |title=Long Distance Transport and Welfare of Farm Animals |date=2008 |publisher=CABI |isbn=978-1845934033 |page=35 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HixNfhRQAscC&q=sacrificed+animals+meet+certain+age+and+quality+standards&pg=PA33}}</ref> The meat from the sacrificed animal is generally divided into three parts: the family performing the udhiyah retains a third; while the remainder is equally divided between friends and relatives, and the poor.<ref name="Ekrem" />

The tradition for Eid al-Adha involves [[Ritual slaughter|slaughtering]] an animal and sharing the meat in three equal parts – for family, for relatives and friends, and for poor people. The goal is to make sure every Muslim gets to eat meat.<ref>{{cite web |title=Qurbani Meat Distribution Rules |url=https://www.muslimaid.org/what-we-do/religious-dues/qurbani/qurbani-rules/ |website=Muslim Aid |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=30 March 2022 |title=Qurbani Meat Distribution Rules |url=https://islamicallrounder.com/eid-ul-fitr-eid-ul-adha/ |website=islamicallrounder |language=en}}</ref> However, there is a [[Ikhtilaf|dissent]] among Muslim scholars regarding the obligatory nature of this sacrifice. While some scholars, such as [[Al-Kasani]], categorise the sacrifice as obligatory ([[Wajib|wāǧib]]), others regard it only as an "established custom" ([[Sunnah|sunna mu'akkada]]).<ref>{{Cite book |author=Hawting, Gerald |title=Studies in Islamic Law: A Festschrift for Colin Imber |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-19-953491-3 |editor-last1=Christmann |editor-first1=Andreas |series=Journal of Semitic Studies Supplement |location=Oxford |pages=123–142 |chapter=The Juristic Dispute about the Legal Status of the Animal Offerings on the Feast of Sacrifices |editor-last2=Gleave |editor-first2=Robert}}</ref> Alternatives such as charitable donations or [[Fasting in Islam|fasting]] have been suggested to be permissible by several [[faqih|fuqaha]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Leaman |first1=Oliver |title=Routledge Handbook of Islamic Ritual and Practice |last2=Shaikh |first2=Zinnira |date=2022 |publisher=Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group |isbn=978-0-367-49123-9 |series=Routledge Handbooks |location=Abingdon, New York |pages=446–447 |chapter=Heresy or Moral Imperative? Islamic Perspectives on Veganism}}</ref>[[File:PikiWiki Israel 28887 Eid al-Adha Homemade Cookies.jpg|thumb|''[[Ma'amoul]]'', a traditional Eid cookie in parts of the Muslim world]]Muslims are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform Eid prayer in a large congregation in an open ''[[waqf]]'' ("stopping") field called Eidgah or mosque. Cuisine traditionally associated with Eid al-Adha includes [[ma'amoul]] and [[samosa]]s.<ref name="H. X. Lee" />
[[File:Eid al-Adha cattle market in Bangladesh 44.jpg|thumb|Cattle market for Eid al-Adha in Dhaka, Bangladesh]]

===Traditions===

Around the world, different traditions are followed on Eid al-Adha. For example, in Pakistan and Afghanistan, applying henna is a famous tradition amongst women. In Pakistan, children receive Eidi which is money and gifts given from elders. In the Middle East, traditional sweets are made. In African nations, gifts are given among friends and family is invited to feasts. While the cultures are different, the key values of celebration remain the same. Those values are giving, feasts, family, and grant celebrations.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://chakorventures.com/blog/eid-in-pakistan-traditions-celebrations-and-unity-citadel-7/ | title=Eid in Pakistan: Traditions, Celebrations, and Unity-Citadel 7 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/24/eid-traditions-around-the-world | title=Prayer, henna, charity: Eid al-Adha traditions around the world }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://pennyappeal.org/news/celebrating-eid-ul-adha-traditions-around-world | title=Eid ul-Adha Traditions Around the World &#124; Penny Appeal | access-date=13 February 2025 | archive-date=21 April 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250421103115/https://pennyappeal.org/news/celebrating-eid-ul-adha-traditions-around-world | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==In the Gregorian calendar==
{{See also|Islamic calendar}}
{{hijri_to_gregorian_calendar.svg}}

While Eid al-Adha is always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year since the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and the [[Gregorian calendar]] is a [[solar calendar]]. The lunar calendar is approximately eleven days shorter than the solar calendar.<ref name="Chris">{{cite book |last1=Hewer |first1=Chris |title=Understanding Islam: The First Ten Steps |year=2006 |publisher=SCM Press |isbn=978-0334040323 |page=[https://archive.org/details/understandingisl0000hewe/page/111 111] |url=https://archive.org/details/understandingisl0000hewe|url-access=registration |quote=he Gregorian calendar. }}</ref>{{efn|Because the Hijri year differs by about 11 days from the AD year, Eid al-Adha can occur twice a year, in the year 1029, 1062, 1094, 1127, 1159, 1192, 1224, 1257, 1290, 1322, 1355, 1387, 1420, 1452, 1485, 1518, 1550, 1583, 1615, 1648, 1681, 1713, 1746, 1778, 1811, 1844, 1876, 1909, 1941, 1974, 2007, 2039, 2072, 2104, 2137, 2169, 2202, [[3rd millennium#23rd century|2235]], 2267 and 2300 (will continue to occur every 32 or 33 years).}} Each year, Eid al-Adha (like other Islamic holidays) falls on one of about two to four Gregorian dates in parts of the world, because the boundary of crescent visibility is different from the [[International Date Line]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Staff|first=India com|date=30 July 2020|title=Eid al-Adha or Bakrid 2020 Date and Time: History and Significance of the Day|url=https://www.india.com/festivals-events/eid-al-adha-or-bakrid-2020-date-and-time-history-and-significance-of-the-day-4098460/|access-date=2020-07-31|website=India News, Breaking News, Entertainment News {{!}} India.com|language=en}}</ref>

The following list shows the official dates of Eid al-Adha for Saudi Arabia as announced by the [[Supreme Judicial Council of Saudi Arabia|Supreme Judicial Council]]. Future dates are estimated according to the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia.<ref name="ummalqura">{{cite web |url= http://www.staff.science.uu.nl/~gent0113/ |access-date= 7 March 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110611040922/http://www.staff.science.uu.nl/~gent0113/islam/ummalqura.htm |archive-date= 11 June 2011 |url-status= live |title= Homepage of Robert H. Van Gent }}</ref> The Umm al-Qura calendar is just a guide for planning purposes and not the absolute determinant or fixer of dates. Confirmations of actual dates by moon sighting are applied on the 29th day of the lunar month prior to Dhu al-Hijja<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/eid-al-adha-2016-holiday-day-160814084340209.html|title=Eid al-Adha 2016 date is expected to be on September 11|publisher=Al Jazeera|access-date=14 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160814174432/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/08/eid-al-adha-2016-holiday-day-160814084340209.html|archive-date=14 August 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> to announce the specific dates for both Hajj rituals and the subsequent Eid festival. The three days after the listed date are also part of the festival. The time before the listed date the pilgrims visit [[Mount Arafat]] and descend from it after sunrise of the listed day.{{cn|date=June 2025}}

In many countries, the start of any [[Islamic calendar|lunar Hijri]] month varies based on the observation of the new moon by local religious authorities, so the exact day of celebration varies by locality.

== Explanatory notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
*{{EI2|volume=3|title=ʿĪd al-Aḍḥā|page=1007|first=E.|last=Mittwoch|doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_3472}}

== External links ==
{{Portal|Islam|Holidays}}
*{{commons category-inline}}
* {{cite web|last1=Muttaqi|first1=Shahid ‘Ali|title=The Sacrifice of 'Eid al-Adha'|url=https://www.animalsinislam.com/islam-animal-rights/sacrifice-eid-al-adha/}}

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