Muslims attend a prayer session along a street in celebration of the Eid al-Adha festival in JakartaReuters
Muslims attend a prayer session along a street in celebration of the Eid al-Adha festival in JakartaReutersA Muslim women and her daughter prepare to attend a prayer session in celebration of Eid al-Adha in JakartaReutersA boy carries balloons for sale ahead of Eid al-Adha in Sidon, LebanonReutersA trader bathes his cow before taking it to market by the Buriganga River in DhakaReutersA man loads a pair of goats into the car boot after purchasing them from a livestock market in KolkataReutersMuslims bring a cow to be slaughtered during the Eid al-Adha festival in Shah Alam outside Kuala LumpurReutersA man carries a sacrificial goat on sale at a market, ahead of the Eid al-Adha feast, in Sanaa, YemenReutersMuslim women offer prayers at a mosque on the eve of the Eid al-Adha festival on the outskirts of the western Indian city of AhmedabadReutersPalestinian women take cover from rain during Eid al-Adha prayers in Gaza CityReutersGirls attend prayers marking the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha in the Nigerian capital, AbujaReutersPeople pray in Ashwaq village on the occasion of Eid al-Adha near the city of Tabuk, Saudi ArabiaReutersSecurity personnel prays in Mina near the holy city of MeccaReutersWomen react next to their father's grave in a cemetery during the Muslim festival of Eid al al-Adha in SanaaReutersA man reacts next to his grave in a cemetery during the Muslim festival of Eid al al-Adha in SanaaReutersA view of Mecca's Grand Mosque and the four-faced Clock Tower seen during the annual haj pilgrimage, from Mount Al-Noor in MeccaReuters
Sunday marked the Eid al-Adha feast, celebrated throughout the world by millions of Muslims.
Eid al-Adha also caps the end of the Hajj pilgrimage where more than 2.5 million Muslim gathered this year, putting aside the tensions still causing havoc in the Muslim World.
Unfortunately this week-end was also marked by deadly bomb attacks in Nigeria and protests in Syria.
The celebration, also called the Feast of Sacrifice as the Arabic word "Eid" means festival and the word "Adha" means sacrifice, is a commemoration of Prophet Abraham's (Ibrahim) willingness to sacrifice the life of his son Ishmael (Isma'il) for god.
However, because God spared Abraham's son and replaced him with a sheep, Muslims celebrate this occasion by slaughtering an animal.
According to Muslim tradition, the meat is divided into three different equal parts. While the family retains one third of the share, another is given to relative, friends and family while the other third is given to the poor and the needy.
Aid al-Adha takes different names in different countries. In south East Asia it is also known as Hari Raya Aidiladha.
In Singapore, the local name for Eid al-Adha is Hari Raya Haji and in India it is also known as Eid-ul-Adha as Id al-Adha or Idu'z Zuha
However whatever terminology is used Eid al-Adha is highly celebrated by Muslims around the world.
