Eid al-Adha

Or Eid ul-Ad·ha,

[eed uhl-ahd-hah]

noun

1. a major festival of Islam, beginning on the tenth day of the last month of the calendar and lasting for four days, usually characterized by the sacrificing of a sheep, whose flesh is divided among relatives and friends in memory of the ransom of Ishmael with a ram.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Eid al-Adha¹

First recorded in 1730–40, Eid al-Adha is from Arabic ʿīd al-aḍḥā “festival of sacrifice”

Example Sentences

She feels dizzy every time she tries to get up and puts it down to the effect of fasting ahead of Eid al-Adha, when she's already very malnourished.

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It's the first day of Eid al-Adha, when her dad would usually sacrifice a sheep and they'd share the meat with the needy and their relatives.

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King Mohammed VI has asked Moroccans to abstain from performing the Muslim rite of slaughtering sheep during Eid al-Adha this year due to a sharp drop in the country's herd.

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Eid al-Adha, which falls in June, commemorates the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim, or Abraham, to sacrifice his son on God's command.

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The recent intense exchange of fire replaced, during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, with a fiery volley of threats, the familiar drum beat of deterrence spotlighting the path to war.

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