Omar Chatriwala
This year, Eid Al-Adha (the festival of the sacrifice) is expected to fall on Saturday, Oct. 4, according to the high court of Saudi Arabia.
The country declared today to be the first day of the Islamic calendar month of Dhul Hijja, and Eid falls on the 10th day of this month.
Eid Al Adha coincides with Hajj, an pilgrimage that millions of Muslims make to holy sites in Saudi Arabia.
Haya
On Eid, Muslims sacrifice an animal (sheep, goat, cow, or camel) as something of an offering to God as the Prophet Abraham once did.
The meat is then distributed among themselves, family and friends.
Qatar has yet to announce its official holidays, but it is unlikely to declare a different day for the start of Eid.
Because the festival begins on the weekend, private sector holidays will probably fall on the first three days of the week (Sunday, Oct. 5 to Tuesday, Oct. 7).
Schools and the public sector will likely be off for the entire week.
The Qatar Tourism Authority has said that a slew of activities are being planned for Eid week, including entertainment and cultural shows and events at Katara Cultural Village, Souq Waqif and the malls.
We’ll keep you posted on what’s happening as the information comes in.
How do you plan to celebrate? Thoughts?
(The post Saudi declares Eid Al-Adha to be on Oct. 4, 2014 is from Doha News.)