Eid Mubarak in Arabic means “blessed celebration” and is a common greeting for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

Eid al-Adha is Islam’s holiest festival and is celebrated annually as an official holiday in many countries.

Holiday Tradition and Significance

Eid’l Adha is so called as “Feast of Sacrifice” because it commemorates the willingness of Ibrahim (also known as Abraham) to follow Allah’s (God’s) command to sacrifice his son Ishmael (after he dreamed of such command), as an act of submission. However, in the mercy of The Almighty God, his son was replaced with a sheep and was spared his life.

As form of celebration, affluent Muslims sacrifice their best halal domestic animals (usually a cow, but can also be a camel, goat, sheep, or ram depending on the region) as a symbol of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only son. The meat from the sacrificed animal is preferred to be divided into three parts – family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbours; and the remaining third is given to the poor and needy.