EID-UL-ADHA: THE FEAST OF SACRIFICEIN ISLAM

Overview:
Eid-Ul-Adha (a.k.a. the Feast of Sacrifice or Day of Sacrifice ) is
observed after the Hajj -- the annual pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca) in
Saudi Arabia.
A duty of each Muslim, as described in the Five Pillars of Islam , is
to go on Hajj at least once once during their lifetime, unless they
are prevented by finances or ill health. " The Hajj consists of
several ceremonies, meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the
Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of prophet Abraham and
his family...The pilgrimage also enables Muslims from all around the
world, of different colors, languages, races, and ethnicities, to come
together in a spirit of universal brotherhood and sisterhood to
worship the One God together. " 1
It is the second of the two major Muslim holy days. The other is
Eid-ul-Fitr which follows Ramadan -- a lunar month of partial fasting.
When is it celebrated?
Eid-Ul-Adha is observed after the conclusion of the Hajj. The first
day of this celebration is held on the 10th day of Duhl-Hijja, which
is the last month of the Muslim year. In most areas, th e Feast of
Sacrifice is celebrated over several days. 2
Islamic months begin at sunset on the day when the lunar crescent
appears after the new moon, and can be sighted by the unaided eye . "
Visibility depends on a large number of factors including weather
condition, the altitude of the moon at sunset, the closeness of the
moon to the sun at sunset, the interval between sunset and moonset,
atmospheric pollution, the quality of the eyesight of the observer,
use of optical aids etc. " 3 As a result, although the phases of the
moon can be predicted accurately, the moon's visibility at a given
place on Earth cannot be estimated in advance. Thus, the feast day has
always been celebrated on different days in various areas of the
world.
Because the date of the Feast of Sacrifice is determined by a lunar
calendar, it is observed about 11 days earlier each year. According to
the Gregorian calendar:
Year Id al-Adha
1417 H 1997-APR-17
1418 1998-APR-07
1419 1999-MAR-28
1420 2000-MAR-16
1421 2001-MAR-05
1422 2002-FEB-22
1423 2003-FEB-11
1424 2004-FEB-01
1425 2005-JAN-21
1426 2006-JAN-10
1427 2006-DEC-31
1428 2007-DEC-20
1429 2008-DEC-08
1430 2009-NOV-28
1431 2010-NOV-17
1432 2011-NOV-07
Its significance:
"The celebration of Eid-Ul-Adha is in commemoration of the command
give by Allah toProphet Abraham (may Allah be pleased with him) to
sacrifice his first born son Ishmael to Him. The fulfilment [sic] of
thisnoble command of Allah by Abraham signifies his faith in Allah
...."