Literally translated as the “Festival of the Sacrifice” and colloquially known as the “Great Eid”, Eid ul-Adha is considered the holiest of the two Islamic holidays. Here’s when it will be celebrated this year, the story behind the holiday and how to wish someone a ‘Happy Eid’ this year.
What is the date of Eid ul-Adha 2022?
Eid ul-Adha 2022 begins on the evening of Saturday, July 9 and lasts for four days, ending on the evening of Wednesday, July 13. It falls on the tenth day of Dhul-Hijjah, the twelfth month of the Islamic Hijri calendar, with its date in the Gregorian calendar shifting by about 11 days each year. According to Saudi Arabia, whose official ruling is followed by many Muslims around the world, Dhul-Hijjah began on Thursday, June 30, after the sighting of the crescent moon on Wednesday, June 29. While the date is slightly unpredictable, observers are at least given more warning than with Eid ul-Fitr, when the festival falls right at the beginning of the month. Muslims celebrate Eid ul-Adha in London in 2018 (Photo: Getty Images) Eid ul-Adha commemorates the famous story of the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim (known in the Christian Old Testament as Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God’s command. However, before Ibrahim could carry out the heartbreaking request, God, known as Allah in Islam, created a lamb for him to sacrifice. To celebrate this, an animal is traditionally sacrificed and divided into three parts in an act known as Qurbani. A portion of the sheep is given to the poor, one to the immediate family at home, and one is reserved for relatives. In addition, some Muslims may give money to charities to give poorer families the chance to have a proper Eid feast, while mosques and community groups often organize communal meals. They also chant the Takbir, which is the Arabic phrase “Allāhu akbar” or “God is great”, before and after the Eid prayer.
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What does ‘Eid Mubarak’ mean?
“Eid Mubarak” is the traditional phrase used by Muslims to greet each other during both the Eid ul-Adha celebrations and the Eid ul-Fitr celebrations earlier in the year. The Arabic word “mubarak” translates as “blessed”, while “Eid” means celebration, festival or celebration, so “Eid Mubarak” can literally mean “blessed feast” or “blessed feast”, although it is widely interpreted as simply wish someone a “Happy Eid”. While you can specify “Eid ul-Fitr Mubarak” or “Eid ul-Adha Mubarak” to determine between the two holidays, “Eid Mubarak” alone is sufficient. In exactly the same way, Muslims wish their fellow observers “Ramadan Mubarak” at the beginning of the holy month and throughout the fasting period. “Ramadan Kareem” is less commonly used, but translates as “Generous Ramadan” – while the phrase can be used as a greeting in a similar way to “Ramadan Mubarak”, it can also describe Ramadan when referring to it in a wider context. Both “Mubarak” and “Kareem” also have names in Arabic, which carry the same meanings as those given in Eid and Ramadan wishes.
