Muslims around the world begin celebrating Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, began Tuesday evening for the approximately 2 billion Muslims worldwide, marking the most significant annual holiday in Islam.

The festival, which takes place on the final days of hajj — the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia — is a joyous occasion celebrated by Muslims around the world to commemorate Ibrahim’s test of faith.

During the three-day festival, Muslims around the world will slaughter an animal — a goat, sheep, bull or camel — keeping a third for themselves and giving a third to friends and relatives and a third to charity.

The ritual commemorates the readiness of Ibrahim — Abraham in the Christian and Jewish faiths — to sacrifice his son to show obedience to Allah.

This year, more than 1.8 million Muslims took part in the hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, as one of the world’s largest religious gatherings returned to capacity following years of coronavirus restrictions.

The hajj has been held every year since the time of the prophet, even through wars, plagues and other turmoil. Some pilgrims spend their whole lives saving up for the journey or wait years before getting a permit, which Saudi authorities distribute to countries based on a quota system.

Palestinian Muslims offer Eid al-Adha prayers in Gaza City, June 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Afghan refugees attend Eid al-Adha prayers at a mosque in the Kazana Refugees camp on the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan, June 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Muhammad Sajjad)

This aerial view shows Muslim worshippers gathering in Gaza City to perform Eid Al-Adha morning prayers, on June 28, 2023. (MOHAMMED ABED / AFP)

Palestinians attend Eid al-Adha prayers at the Ibrahimi mosque, in the West Bank city of Hebron, June 28, 2023. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90)

Thousands of Palestinians attend Eid al-Adha prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, June 28, 2023. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)

Men slaughter a cow on the first day of Eid al-Adha in Kabul, Afghanistan, June 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Khan)

Muslims pray outside the Moscow Cathedral Mosque during Eid al-Adha celebrations in Moscow, Russia, on June 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Muslims attend the prayer of the first day of Eid al-Adha, outside the iconic Haghia Sophia mosque in the historic Sultan Ahmed district of Istanbul, June 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinian female Muslim worshipers perform Eid Al-Adha morning prayers, on June 28, 2023 in Gaza City. (MOHAMMED ABED / AFP)