The government has declared Monday, September 12, a public holiday to mark Idd-Ul-Adha fête.
Interior CS Joseph Nkaissery made the announcement in a gazette notice on Friday.
Idd-Ul-Adha [Festival of Sacrifice ] is an Islamic festival to commemorate the willingness of prophet Ibrahim to follow Allah’s (God’s) command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.
It is observed every year by Muslim faithful around the world at the end of pilgrimage [Hajj]. During the pilgrimage, Muslims remember and commemorate the trials and triumphs of the prophet.
In the period around Eid al-Adha, many Muslims travel to Mecca and the surrounding area in Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage.
Package holidays are organized from many countries. Muslims may plan and save for many years to enable them to take part in this event, which is one of the five pillars of Islam
At Eid al-Adha, many Muslims make a special effort to pray and listen to a sermon at a mosque. They also wear new clothes, visit family members and friends and may symbolically sacrifice an animal in an act known as qurbani.
This represents the animal that Ibrahim sacrificed in the place of his son.
