by A.L. Lovern

Created on: November 12, 2009   Last Updated: November 15, 2009

Eid-ul-Adha is known as the "festival of sacrifice," which follows the journey to Hajj. This festival is celebrated to commemorate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his Son Ismael to God.

Eid-ul-Adha is one of the two festivals celebrated by those of the Muslim faith. The Eid-ul-Adha falls on the tenth day of the lunar Islamic calendar and lasts for three or more days depending on the region of which you choose to celebrate such an occasion. So why do Muslims celebrate Eid-ul-Adha?

Muslims celebrate Eid-ul-Adha to show their obedience to God, as Abraham did when he sacrificed his son to show his love for the Lord shall supersede all others. This showed great belief and devotion to give such a gift back to the Lord to show his obedience and faith, and this is why the Muslims celebrate the festival of sacrifice.

During this celebration of faith Muslims remember Abraham's trials by sacrificing a sheep or camel. Then the meat from this sacrifice is shared and given away to others. This symbolizes their willingness to sacrifice bounty to others to strengthen friendship ties by helping others in need. This form of devotion is very important during the festival of sacrifice, because the sacrificing Abraham did to show his devotion to the Lord is how the festival became a Muslim time-honored tradition.

In order to understand this great sacrifice you should be of the Muslim faith. Otherwise, one not of the faith may not understand the reason for the sacrifice.

The symbolism is not in the sacrifice but in the attitude. The sacrifice is just a ritual to show their willingness to give to those in need. It is important to understand that the sacrifice has nothing to do with Muslims repenting their sin or of any wrongdoing. The true Muslim is one who submits completely to the Lord and will follow the commands completely and obediently as Abraham did. The Eid-ul-Alha or the "Festival of sacrifice" is celebrated to show a true Muslim's faith and devotion in the Lord.

Muslim traditions, such as the journey of Hajj and the Eid-ul-Adha, are both very traditional and symbolic. These two passionate events supersede one another to make a memorable journey. One must respect and believe the Muslim faith in order to get the most out of such traditions. As others, the Muslims have their beliefs, and they should be respected and not mocked. These Muslim traditions have very deep symbolic meaning.

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