Eid-ul-Azha or Eid-ul-adha, also known as Bakrid, will be observed on August 1 this year, depending on the sighting of the moon, which is a prerequisite for the major religious event. Eid al-Adha is the 'Feast of Sacrifice,' in which Muslims slaughter livestock and distribute the meat to the poor.
The slaughtering of livestock and animals and distributing the meat to the poor is done by Muslims to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim's test of faith, his willingness to sacrifice his 13-year-old son Ismail. The prophet was challenged by Allah to prove his faith by sacrificing something he's very fond of. As an act of obedience, Ibrahim decided to sacrifice his beloved son Ismail. However, God sent angel Jibrail to intervene and replace his son with a ram (male bighorn sheep). Since then, Muslims across the globe sacrifice a livestock animal on Eid al-Adha to celebrate the divine intervention.
The sacrificed animal is divided in three equivalent parts – for family, for relatives and friends, and for the poor.
People gather at Masjids or Idgahs to offer the Eid-ul-Adha namaz. The 'qurbani' begins after the Eid prayers. Muslims then visit relatives and friends to share sweets and exchange pleasantries. In Muslim homes, it is more of a close family affair, with feast including delicacies like Mutton Biryani, Ghosht Haleem, Bhuni Kaleji, Kebabs and Shirkhurma.
