Dhu al-Hijjah or Dhul-Hijjah is one of the most sacred months for Muslims around the world. The 12th month in the Islamic calendar has great significance in the religion. The first ten-day of Dhul-Hijjah are considered more sacred than Ramadhan days. Close to a couple of million people participate in Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in this very month.

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Eid-al-Adha is celebrated to honor the sacrifice made by Hazrat Ibrahim (Prophet Abraham in the Bible) in the way of Allah. Hazrat Ibrahim gave the test of his devotion towards Allah by sacrificing his ‘most loving’ belonging.

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He blindfolded himself before sacrificing his son Ismail. When he made his sacrifice and opened his eye-band he saw his son Ismail smiling and the sacrificed body was of a sheep. His sacrifice was accepted by Allah. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid-al-Adha, the Eid of Qurbani, by sacrificing either goat or sheep, or camel.

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Eid-al-Adha is celebrated by Muslims across the globe on the tenth day of Dhul-Hijjah. The holiday date for Eid-Al-Adha changes every year because the Islamic calendar is lunar. A lunar year works on the observation of the moon. The amount of time the moon takes to complete its phases is called a lunar month. A month in the Islamic calendar starts when the crescent moon is sighted by the naked eye. Once the thin line of the new moon is sighted a new month starts and this is how all Islamic months start and end.

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There are usually two Eid days every year as the Arab world and the counties situated in the northern hemisphere celebrate Eid a day earlier than South Asian countries. The countries in the northern hemisphere sight the moon a few hours before it can be sighted in countries that lie below the equator. A lunar year usually has 354 days, some 11 days short of a solar calendar.

Eid-al-Adha 2022 will be celebrated on Saturday 9 July in the Middle East and western countries while India and other South Asian countries will celebrate the holy day on Sunday.