#InquirerSeven Facts about Eid’l Adha
The country will experience its third long weekend in a row after President Duterte declared Sept. 1, Friday, a regular holiday in observance of Eid’l Adha, or the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice.
READ: Sept. 1, 2017 declared a holiday in observance of Eid’l Adha
But before you enjoy three-day weekend, know first its importance to our Muslim brothers and sisters with #InquirerSeven facts about the Islamic holiday.
1. Eid’l Adha is one of Islam’s two major feasts celebrated worldwide
Eid’l Adha marks the willingness of Ibrahim, or Abraham, to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God’s command.
2. It marks the culmination of the Muslim’s annual pilgrimage to Mecca
(https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/507985/muslims-mark-feast-of-sacrifice)
Eid’l Adha marks the culmination of the hajj, the annual pilgrimage of Muslims to Mecca. The pilgrimage rite, mainly to holy cities of Mecca and Madinah, begins oon the 7th day of Dhū al-Ḥijjah (the last month of the Islamic year) and ends on the 12th day.
In 2013, some 3,000 Filipino Muslims participated in the three-week hajj, according to the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos.
BACKSTORY: Muslims mark Feast of Sacrifice
3. Hajj is a tradition as old as time
Hajj is a journey every adult Muslim must make at least once in their lifetime.
Hajj is an old tradition that dates back to the biblical times of Abraham and his family, as mentioned in the Koran (15:37, 22:26) and in the Book of Genesis of the Old Testament.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, the obligations that every Muslim must satisfy in order to live a good and responsible life. If a Muslim is physically and financially able to do so, they must go to a pilgrimage to the holy city at least once in their life.
4. It bares different names in different countries
(https://www.aljazeera.com/news/when-is-eid-al-adha-170803105349875.html)
The feast is called different names in different countries. Eid’l Adha means “festival of the sacrifice.” As one of Islam’s holiest festivals, it is known in different local names:
– Eidul Adha, as spelled in the Philippines legislation.
– Eid el-Kabir, as commonly referred to in Nigeria and Morocco.
– Tabaski, as referred to in Senegal and Gambia.
– Kurban Bayrami, as referred to in Turkey.
– Hari Raya Haji, as known in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
– Eid è Qurbon, as known in Iran.
– Bakr-Id or Qurbani Eid, as referred to in India, Bangladesh, and in the Urdu language.
5. Its date is up to Saudi Arabia’s highest religious body
The date is confirmed by Saudi Arabia’s High Judicial Court. The date of Eid’l Adha, announced by Saudi Arabia’s High Judicial Court, is based on moon sightings.
For 2017, Saudi Arabia’s Um alQura calendar has marked Sept. 1 as date of Eid’l Adha but the official date was confirmed by the High Judicial Court only after the new moon crescent was sighted on Aug. 22.
6. Its length of celebration vary in different countries
In 2017, Eid’l Adha will be celebrated on Sept. 1 in most countries, but in varying lengths.
In Saudi Arabia, it’s celebrated with a 16-day public holiday.
Qatar and Turkey celebrate it for 10 days.
Pakistan and Lebanon will celebrate it for four days, Sept. 1 to 4.
7. The Philippines has celebrated Eid’l Adha for 15 years
The Philippines has been observing Eid’l Adha as a national holiday for eight years.
Republic Act No. 9177 (2002) declared Eid’l Adha only “a regional holiday in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) for the Observance of Eidul Adha,” but RA 9849 (2009) declared “the tenth day of Zhul Hijja, the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar, a national holiday for the observance of Eidul Adha.” Christia Marie Ramos, INQUIRER.net trainee, With a report by Inquirer Research
