Eid Al-Adha, also called the festival of sacrifice, is a four day Muslim holiday that celebrates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael before God sent a ram in his place. It is one of the most important holidays on the Muslim calendar. American Muslims observe the holiday today, October 15th.
In commemoration, Muslims around the world usually slaughter sheep or cattle. The Guardian has a excellent slide show with a few photographs showing some of that sacrificial offering.
Other resources for the holiday include:
- The Atlantic’s In Focus has a page of great photographs
- BBC Religion has a short page about the holiday
- The Huffington Post also has a good slide show
- The Global Post has a page of great phtographs
Below, boys lead rams to the Atlantic Ocean where they will wash them in preparation for the Eid Al-Adha feast in Senegal.