http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/muslim/eid-al-adha Eid al-Adha is an Islamic festival to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim (also known as Abraham) to follow Allah's (God's) command to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Muslims around the world observe this event. 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. In some traditionally Muslim countries, families or groups of families may purchase an animal known as udhiya, usually a goat or sheep, to sacrifice, but this is not common or legal in many parts of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States or many other countries. In these countries, groups of people may purchase a whole carcass from a butcher or slaughterhouse and divide it amongst themselves or just buy generous portions of meat for a communal meal on Eid-al-Adha. People also give money to enable poorer members of their local community and around the world to eat a meat-based meal. 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. ====================== http://englishrussia.com/2013/08/08/morning-prayer-of-the-muslims-in-moscow/#more-127106 Morning Prayer of the Muslims In Moscow Posted on August 8, 2013 by team As it happens every summer Moscow also celebrates Eid ul Adha (Kurban Bayram) – one of the main Islamic holidays. Dozens of thousands of Muslims came to the mosque for a morning prayer. They have been doing it for many years twice a year but every time it becomes shocking for some people in the city. ================== Videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx0F3akJ0UU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1Kqh8cTi34 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtwUnEONYw4 ================== http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/06/muslims-in-russia_n_1078424.html 80,000 Muslims Pray On The Street In Moscow MOSCOW — Tens of thousands of Muslim men knelt shoulder-to-shoulder in prayer on the freezing streets of Moscow on Sunday to celebrate the religious holiday of Eid al-Adha. Estimates of the number of Muslims living or working in the Russian capital run from 2 million to as high as 5 million, but the city only has a few mosques. Police said 170,000 people celebrated the holiday in Moscow, including 80,000 who gathered on the street outside what was once the main mosque. The 100-year-old pastel green Cathedral Mosque was torn down in September and a new mosque being built next to it is still under construction. Many of those who braved temperatures of minus 8 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) to pray on Sunday morning were migrant workers from countries in Central Asia that were once part of the Soviet Union. "Of course new mosques are needed," said Maruv, a shop worker from Tajikistan who gave only his first name. "Look at how many people are in the street and it's cold. They have been standing here waiting for the beginning of prayers since 6 a.m. and there are no facilities." Police cordoned off the area and set up metal detectors to screen worshippers. The mosque is located next to the Olympic Stadium, where this weekend women tennis players from Russia and the Czech Republic played the Fed Cup final. Muslim prayers also were held at three other mosques and in three city parks. Eid al-Adha, a feast celebrated by Muslims worldwide, is known as Kurban-Bairam in Russia. Russia's Council of Muftis said that for the first time this year the ritual slaughter of sheep was performed at 10 slaughterhouses on the outskirts of Moscow. In past years, Muscovites have complained angrily about the killing of sheep in the courtyards of apartment buildings in the city center. Muslim and government leaders apparently made a special effort this year to address the rising ethnic tensions that have accompanied the influx of Muslim migrants, including many from the Caucasus republics in southern Russia. "We, Russian Muslims, are proud of our fatherland, Russia, and we are trying to make Russia proud of us, our culture and our contribution to the modernization and development of our state," the head of the Council of Muftis, Ravil Gainutdin, was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying during the prayer service. President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin both sent holiday messages to Muslims in which they stressed the importance of instilling the young with moral values and promoting religious and ethnic accord. ====================== http://rt.com/news/kurban-eid-moscow-celebration-308/ Russian Muslims swarm Moscow for ‘Feast of Sacrifice’ (PHOTOS) Published time: October 26, 2012 12:48 Muslims take part in prayers on the first day of the Muslim holiday of Kurban Bairam in Moscow. (Reuters / Mikhail Voskresenskiy ) Muslims take part in prayers on the first day of the Muslim holiday of Kurban Bairam in Moscow. (Reuters / Mikhail Voskresenskiy ) Muslims in Russia are celebrating the Feast of Sacrifice, an Islamic holiday dedicated to the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham). More than 150,000 prayers are taking place across Moscow at traditional prayer halls, and unconventional spots like golf courses. ­The main celebration of Eid al-Adha – known as Kurban Bayram in Russia – began at Moscow’s Cathedral Mosque at 8:30am local time. Despite the cold and rainy weather, worshipers gathered outside of mosques in the pre-dawn hours. Since there was limited space in the prayer halls, thousands poured out onto the streets as a mixture of rain and snow fell. Six sites near mosques and in designated locations were set to host Muslims in the Russian capital. Some 3,000 law enforcement officers were deployed to guard the sites. For security reasons, worshipers were not allowed to bring large bags or packs to the sites. Metal detectors were also set up to scan for potentially dangerous objects or weapons. Muslims pray at the Moscow Congregational Mosque in central Moscow on the Feast of the Sacrifice. (RIA Novosti / Anton Denisov) The sheer volume of cars and people created kilometer-long traffic jams on streets neighboring the mosques. Thousands of Muscovites had a severe case of road rage, saying they could not get to work or drop children off at school on time because Muslims were marching in the streets to prayers, causing traffic jams. Moscow residents who live near the mosques also said the celebrations seem slightly noisier than in previous years. Public prayers had finished by noon, and the huge crowds dispersed and traffic in Moscow returned to normal levels. Police reported that the celebrations passed peacefully without any major incidents. Muslims pray at the Moscow Congregational Mosque in central Moscow on the Feast of the Sacrifice. (RIA Novosti / Vladimir Astapkovich) Muslim worshipers have also been known to slaughter sacrificial animals for Eid in the streets of Moscow, a practice that has been banned in recent years. Leaders of the Muslim community of Moscow argue that these and other public disturbances are due to an insufficient number of mosques in the city. For a number of years, Islamic leaders have asked city authorities to allow for more mosques to be built – a proposition that even won support from former Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov. But the move was met with widespread protest, with Muscovites holding a number of demonstrations against the construction of new mosques. Mayor Sergey Sobyanin bowed to public pressure and put the proposal on hold. A Muslim man prays before celebrations to mark the first day of the Muslim holiday of Kurban Bairam in Moscow. This year’s Eid al-Adha festival fell on October 26. The holiday is celebrated on the tenth day of the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar in all Muslim countries. The festival marks the end of the hajj for Muslims making their pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which every Muslim is expected to undertake at least once in their life. The hajj is a multi-day ceremony that finishes on the day of Eid al-Adha. ==================== http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/10/eid-al-adha-2013/100608/ About the celebration around the world =================