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Rabat – Every year, Muslims around the world celebrate Eid Al Adha – commonly known as Eid El Kebir, “the big feast” in Morocco – which also translates to “the feast of sacrifice,” as a religious duty that also holds a cultural value within Muslim society.
The Muslim community benefits greatly from this celebration on a spiritual, social, and economic level. On this day, Muslims pray and worship Allah on a spiritual level, but also strengthen their social bonds by visiting relatives or friends. On an economic level, meanwhile, businesses also gain from the festive occasion, reporting higher sales with people buying gifts and new clothes.
Religious significance
Eid Al Adha is the second of two major Islamic holidays observed annually around the world, the other being Eid Al Fitr that signifies the end of Ramadan and its obligatory fasting. Muslims celebrate to honor the readiness of the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to offer his son Ismail as a sacrifice in response to Allah’s instruction. However, before Ibrahim could offer his son as a sacrifice, Allah supplied a lamb in its place.
Muslims are thus instructed to slaughter a sheep every year on the 10th of Dhul’Hijjah –the last month in the Islamic calendar– as a way to show gratitude to Allah.
Hajj rituals
Hajj, a yearly religious pilgrimage that Muslims perform in Mecca, also occurs during the Eid Al Adha period. Millions of pilgrims from all around the world go to the holy city in Saudi Arabia to perform the pilgrimage, which is considered the fifth pillar in Islam.
Hajj starts two days before Eid and lasts for six days until the third day of the Eid.
Pilgrims have to make their intention in one of the Miqats, designated locations surrounding the regions of Mecca, by wearing Ihram that is considered to be the first step in Hajj.
Once pilgrims reach the holy city, they start by performing the pilgrimage rituals such as the Tawaf (walking laps around the Kaabah), and Sa’i (walking back and forth between the small hills of Safa and Marwa).
On the first day, pilgrims head to Mina, a town near Mecca, where they will have to stay the entire day before going to Mount Arafat on the second day. They then have to come back on the Eid day to Mecca to perform Tawaf-al-Ifadah before heading back to Mina to do Ram’y (throwing the stones).
On the three last days, pilgrims continue performing the stoning of the devil. Then, the last remaining steps will be Nahr (animal sacrifice), and Halq (shaving the hair) or Taqsir (trimming it) to officially conclude the rituals.
Celebrations around the world
Celebrations around the Muslim world differ by country and culture; however, there are some common rituals that most Muslims follow during Eid.
Muslims repeat Takbirs, words of glorifying of Allah, from the day before Eid until the third day of Eid.
They typically begin the day with ghusl, a full-body cleaning ritual. They then put on their best traditional attire. In Morocco, people usually wear “jellaba” and “balgha” (traditional shoes), and kids are bought new clothes every year.
On the morning of Eid, everyone – men, women, and kids – are encouraged to go to mosques or outdoor worship areas called musalla to perform Eid prayers.
The prayer consists of two rakaats followed by two sermons. After that, it is common to hug and greet one another with the phrase Eid Mubarak that translates to “have a blessed Eid,” give children gifts, and visit friends and family.
Qurbani, the act of offering a sheep, goat, or cow as a sacrifice, is one of the main customs associated with Eid al-Adha. Islamic law stipulates that the animal must be an adult and in good health, and the slaughtering is usually done in a slaughterhouse or on the rooftop of buildings.
The one who slaughters the animal has to say “Bismillah” (in the name of Allah) before cutting to the front of the neck, one of the requirements for the meat to be considered Halal.
People usually give some of the meat to the impoverished, relatives, and friends as it is recommended in Islam to leave one third of the meat for one’s family, give one third as a gift, and give one third to the poor. Muslims also donate money during this period so as to enable less fortunate families to enjoy a good Eid feast.
Some of the common dishes that Moroccans prepare during Eid include Boulfaf (grilled lamb liver), Mokh (sheep or calf brains), Tkalia/Douara (tripe stew), El Hergma/ Fraquech (calf or lamb feet), and L’ham M’hammar (Moroccan braised and roasted lamb).
