Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, is the second of the two major Islamic holidays of the year, usually falling around two months after Eid al-Fitr, the three-day festival at the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Eid al-Adha, or the Big Eid, lasts four days, with the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in western Saudi Arabia marking the end of the festival.
This year, Eid al-Adha begins on Saturday 9th July and ends on Wednesday 13 July. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, meaning the dates of annual events vary in accordance with the phases of the moon.
Eid al-Adha takes place on the 10th day of the final month of the Islamic calendar, Dhu al-Hijjah, which is the 12th and most sacred month of the Islamic year. It is during Dhu al-Hijjah that observant Muslims travel to Mecca for Hajj - all able-bodied adults of the Islamic faith are expected to complete Hajj at least once in their lifetimes.
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