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Eid ul-Adha

This celebration, also known as Id-Ul-uha (Bakr-id) is considered the festival of sacrifice. It is a celebration among Muslims, met with special prayers, greetings and gifts.

Upcoming Dates For Eid ul-Adha

There isn't a set date for the celebration of Eid ul-Adha. It varies on the moon, which is what the Islamic calendar is based on. There may be an error of one day in these following holidays, depending on when the new moon is observed. Here are the upcoming dates for the holiday:

  • Saturday, September 2, 2017
  • Wednesday, August 22, 2018
  • Monday, August 12, 2019
  • Friday, July 31, 2020
  • Tuesday, July 20, 2021
  • Sunday, July 10, 2022
  • Thursday, June 29, 2023
  • Monday, June 17, 2024
  • Saturday, June 6, 2025

Where Is Eid ul-Adha Considered a Holiday?

Eid ul-Adha is a gazette holiday in India. All government offices are closed, including national, state and local. The post offices and banks will also be closed for observation of Eid ul-Adha. Throughout India, there are many shops that will be closed on this day. This is particularly true for Islamic stores. Many others will have reduced hours. Traffic may be disrupted, since there are large prayer groups that may interfere. This will be more common in largely Muslim populated areas. It's celebrated in many areas, but not a holiday in all of them.

Festivities & Events During Eid ul-Adha

Although largely celebrated in India, this is a time of celebration in other areas of the world as well. Muslims across the globe will often participate in activities related to this festival, even away from home. It's common that Muslims will dawn new attire and attend open-air prayer meetings. There is commonly a sacrifice on this evening. It's often a goat or a sheep. The animal is then shared among family, friends or even the poor. There are many Muslims that believe everyone should be able to enjoy a meat based meal on this holiday, hence offering to the poor. There are festivals and celebrations all over the world for the Muslim people.

A Brief History About Eid ul-Adha

The history of Eid ul-Adha is the sacrifice Ibrahim made of his son Ishmael. According to the religion, Allah (also known in other religions as "God") asked Ibrahim (in other religions known as Abraham) to sacrifice his son. Ibrahim obeyed the command, but his son was replaced by a sheep at the last moment. Hence, it's traditional for Muslim people to offer a sheep as a sacrifice on this day.