MANILA, Philippines?President Benigno Aquino III declared Nov. 16 a national and nonworking holiday in celebration of the Eid'l Adha, or the Islam Feast of Sacrifice.

The proclamation was based on Republic Act 9849, which provides that Eid?l Adha, though a movable date, shall be observed as a national holiday.

The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos has confirmed that the feast of Eid?l Adha falls on Nov. 16.

Mr. Aquino?s Proclamation No. 60 states Eid?l Adha is one of Islam?s two major festivals celebrated by 1.6 billion Muslims around the world.

The other is the Eid'l Fitr, the festival that marks the breaking of the fast at the end of the month of Ramadan.

The Feast of Sacrifice marks the culmination of the month-long hajj pilgrimage in Mecca and Madina (Islam?s holy cities).

To mark the event, pilgrims from different parts of the world perform prayers and rituals which culminate with the slaughtering of a sacrificial lamb or goat. With report by Nash B. Maulana, Inquirer Mindanao