Eid al-Adha is one of the most significant Muslim holidays. It is celebrated on the 10th of the month of Dhu'l Hijjah according to the Islamic calendar. In 2014, Eid al-Adha will be celebrated on October 4.
What does Kurban Bayram mean
The history of Eid al-Adha is written in the holy book of Muslims - the Koran. Prophet Ibrahim saw in a dream the messenger of Allah Jabrail, who asked him to sacrifice his eldest son. However, when the father and son reconciled and were ready to make the sacrifice, Allah stopped Ibrahim, declaring the sacrifice unnecessary. The prophet sacrificed a lamb. Since then, for Muslims, the rite of worship of God has been the slaughter of the sacrificial animal. This day became known as Eid al-Adha, which means the holiday of sacrifice.
The victim can be a cow, bull, camel or ram. The animal must be six months old and healthy, without visible defects. You can also make a sacrifice on behalf of the departed. The meat of the animal is divided into three parts: one for the treat, the second for the poor, and the third for the believer himself.
How Eid al-Adha is celebrated
Before the onset of Eid al-Adha, pious Muslims observe fasting for 10 days. And three weeks before the sacrifice, they stop organizing celebrations, putting on new clothes and getting their hair cut.
The night before the holiday with the believer should be spent in prayers. During bayram and for the next three days after each prayer, it is advisable to perform takbir - to praise Allah. Takbir is read in mosques, houses, on the street. Women should do this silently, while men can read aloud.
On this day, Muslims should get up early, take a full bath, cut their hair and nails, and put on smart clothes. After the morning prayer, it is customary to go to the cemetery and read prayers for the dead. The rite of sacrifice begins after visiting the graves.
After the sacrifice, Muslims begin a ritual meal, to which as many poor and hungry people as possible are invited. Alcohol consumption is strictly prohibited on Eid al-Adha. Drunkenness on this day is considered a special mockery and blasphemy against the principles of Islam. On a holiday, it is customary to give gifts to friends and relatives, to visit them.
Eid al-Adha in Moscow
Every year the Moscow Cathedral Mosque becomes the center of the holiday in the Russian capital. Believers can also visit the Memorial Mosque on Poklonnaya Gora, the Historical Mosque on Bolshaya Tatarskaya Street, the Inam and Yardyam mosques, which are located in the Otradny spiritual and educational complex. The city administration allocates a special area for sacrifice. In recent years, such a site has been organized in the village of Satino-Tatarskoye, Podolsk district, Moscow region.
