Eid Mubarak 🐐🐐🐐
Eid Al-Adha commemorates the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim, end of hajj
What is Eid Al-Adha?
Eid Al-Adha is the celebration that commemorates the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim in the Islamic faith. He was willing to sacrifice his son Ismail, his first child during old age, as asked by God through a dream. Ismail was replaced with a lamb. Muslims perform a similar sacrifice and spend their wealth on slaughtering a lamb or cow to distribute among family, relatives, and the poor.
It also commemorates the end of hajj or pilgrimage, the fifth pillar of Islam that should be fulfilled at least once in a lifetime for those who can afford it.
The Kabba in Mecca was built by Prophet Ibrahim and Ismail.
When is Eid this year?
Eid Al-Adha falls on the 10th day of the Dhul Hijja month in the Islamic calendar. This year it falls on July 9, 2022 in the U.S.
How is it celebrated? — in Bangladesh versus in the U.S.
I celebrated Eid Al-Adha once in Sylhet, Bangladesh in 2011. In my experience, this is the bigger Eid in Bangladesh — also called Qurbani or Bakra Eid in Bangla.
Many people can’t afford meat regularly, so it’s upon the relatives and neighbors to come together, purchase an animal for the Eid Al-Adha sacrifice. They pool the money and go to the shops specifically to purchase a lamb or cow, often walking miles back to their home. On the day of Eid after congregation prayer, they slaughter the animal. They then divide it between family, relatives, and the poor.
One way to do this is lay out large banana leafs and section them off with bamboos or twigs, putting a portion of meat for each family.
Once the meat is distributed, women quickly wash and cook the meat, adding aromatics, and spices in caramelized onions. Mangsho (meat curry) is often eaten with sawlor roti, or rice flour flatbread or soi pita, which soaks up the curry.
In the United States, many families celebrate this Eid by going to the mosque to pray in the congregation, dressing up in new or clean clothes, and visiting family or friends. The men go out to a farm and participate in the sacrifice. Some families sponsor an animal in either their home country or for those in need in lieu of bringing home fresh meat. It's more about going to the farm together, understanding this is something that is purifying wealth, and bringing people together.
Eid Mubarak!