More than one billion Muslims around the world are preparing to celebrate the most significant religious holiday in the year, Eid al-Adha. The four-day celebration begins on the evening of Friday, July 8, and ends on the evening of Tuesday, July 12.
Eid al-Adha is to be celebrated annually on the 10th day in the final month of the Islamic calendar, Dhul-Hijjah. It marks the third day of the annual pilgrimage that Muslims partake in, called Hajj, in Saudi Arabia, where millions of faithful believers embark on a holy journey for five to six days.
Because Muslims follow the lunar calendar, the month of Dhul-Hijjah shifts ten days earlier every year so there isn't a fixed annual date for Hajj or Eid.
