Eid el-Kebir 2024: what is the meaning of this holiday for Muslims ?

AID EL KEBIR 2024. The great Muslim holiday of 2024 has arrived. During Aïd el-Kébir, also called Aïd al-Adha, a sheep is sacrificed. with reference to an episode from the Koran. Here are the rules and the meaning of this celebration.

Also called Aïd al-Adha, the "feast of sacrifice" is a special opportunity for practicing Muslims to come together, with family or friends. l'Aïd el-Seghir, "little party", l'Aïd el-Kébir can be translated as & ;quot;the big party".  The "feast of sacrifice" begins on the tenth day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar. During the Aïd el-Kébir, an animal (sheep, goat, cow) is sacrificed. This commemorates ;eacute;more an episode from the Koran in which God orders à Abraham to give the life of his son. The child is finally spared, the angel Gabriel having replaced him. by a sheep at the last moment.

In an article, the Middle East Eyeexplains that "Islam has specific instructions on the practice of animal sacrifice, to ensure that everything is done properly' ;ethics and mastery. Slaughter is done in accordance with halal rules, ensuring that the animal does not suffer.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, more than 100,000 sheep are sacrificed in France during the three days of the festival. This practice stirs animal defense associations, which denounce slaughter without stunning, which is recommended for animal welfare. in tradition. It is very supervised; and the Ministry of Agriculture has put a guide online to identify approved slaughterhouses in the country. Different prefectures, such as that of Ain, recall the rules to be followed. follow for this ritual: "The slaughter of animals, particularly sheep, by individuals, that is to say outside authorized slaughterhouses ;s, is prohibited." An offense is punishable by a fine of 15,000 euros and six months in prison.

In France, Aïd el-Kébir 2024 / 1446  (year of the Muslim calendar) starts this June 16 in 2024. This date is made official in due time by the Great Mosque of Paris, which uses the process to do so. scientist of astronomical calculation. A method which tends to improve impose itself in the bodies of Islam in France, but which does not satisfy all practicing Muslims in France. Some criticize him for putting aside the traditional observation of the crescent moon during the night of doubt/announcement (see below).

The festival of Aïd el-Kébir lasts three days and the sacrifice must take place before sunset on the thirteenth day of the month according to tradition . The celebration takes place approximately 2 and a half months after the end of Ramadan. Its precise dates depend on the lunar calendar to which Muslims refer and change each year, according to the solar Gregorian calendar used by Muslims. in France. L'Aïd el-Kébir is also celebrated after the end of the hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage à Mecca. 

Practicing Muslim believers celebrate Aïd el-Kébir on the 10th day of the lunar month of < em>Dhûl hijja (the last month of the Hijri calendar, based on the moon), which is also the "month of the great pilgrimage" from hajj. The date of Aïd el-Kébir, like that of the beginning or end of Ramadan, "relapses" of approximately eleven days each year in the civil calendar. The date of Aïd el-Kébir may vary from country to country. the other as during Ramadan, but also from a practitioner to another. the other. In France, it was initially the French Council of Muslim Worship (CFCM), the main representative body of Islam in the world. #39;Hexagon, which confirms in due time the official date of the Aïd. For several years and dissensions within the representative bodies of Islam, the Great Mosque of Paris, associated with a religious commission, makes official the date of Aïd &agrave the outcome of the traditional lunar observation of the "Night of Doubt/Announcement", associated with the analysis of astronomical calculations. 

This celebration is also called Aïd el-Adha (the "feast of the sacrifice”). nbsp;L'Aïd el-Kébir combines a great prayer for believers and traditional sheep sacrifices that take place around the world, giving rise to à a shared meal with loved ones and people in need. The tradition of the "feast of sacrifice" also wants that the prayer at the beginning of the Aïd precedes the sacrifice of the animal.& ;nbsp;After the prayer, the celebration takes place over three days. The first day remains however the most important for Muslims. It marks the end of the pilgrimage   Mecca and, after the great collective prayer which takes place in the morning, the faithful meet for the sacrifice before sharing a meal together. For this celebration they put on their most beautiful clothes and multiply gifts and alms. 

In Muslim tradition, the Aïd el-Kébir commemorates the submission of Ibrahim to God. his God. Along with Aïd el-Fitr (festival of breaking the fast), it is one of the two major Muslim holidays. According to the Koran, the prophet Ibrahim received in his dreams the divine order to sacrifice his son, Isma… L. This one, éhighé in faith, accepts to be immolated by his father. The Devil intervenes and tries to convince the protagonists not to practice the sacrifice, but Ibrahim throws seven stones at Satan. The father grabs a knife and places it on Ismaël’s throat. But he fails to achieve this. push it in. When he cuts the neck, he notices that the angel Jibril (Gabriel) has disposed of his body. a sheep &agrav; the place of his son and that he stands, unharmed, à side from him.

For Muslims, the faith of Ibrahim, emphasized the test by God, has been rewarded by the survival of her son. L’Aïd el-Kébir thus celebrates faith and mercy. This episode of the Koran corresponds to a story from the Bible: that of Abraham's sacrifice of his son, interrupted by the arrival of an angel who announces to him that God is satisfied with his faith. A ram is sacrificed. à the young man's place.

L'Aïd, bereaved in 2015 by a stampede that left more than 2000 people dead. Mecca, is one of the most important celebrations of the Muslim religion, along with Ramadan. In Islam, the Aïd closes for millions of believers on Hajj, the p&eacute ;period of pilgrimages which began two days earlier. Every year, Muslims travel to the holy places of their religion throughout the world. Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Hajj end date marker, pilgrimage & Mecca is one of the five pillars of Islam. The Aïd el-Kébir celebrates the completion of these pilgrimages and represents&nbsp ;a strong moment in spiritual and social life.

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The sacrifice of the Aïd el-Kébir is a key moment in the world. for practicing Muslims, but also the source of intense controversy every year. According to the Ministry of Agriculture which published on its website in May 2022 a press release; and a "practical guide" relative &agrav; l' organization of the Aïd el-Kébir, with the Ministry of the Interior, there are in fact “more than 100& ;nbsp;000 sheep" which are slaughtered every year. A "real logistical challenge" who asks &agrav; & be regulatedé and organized. If the slaughter must be carried out in certified slaughterhouses, the organization of the Aïd el-Kébir may require in certain departments the implementation temporary, approved slaughterhouses which only operate during the three days of the festival.

The list of slaughterhouses approved during Aïd el-Kébir is published each year. In the extract from the Journal of July 2, 2022, there were around thirty of these slaughterhouses throughout the country. Slaughter outside an approved structure is prohibited in France and punishable by a fine of 15,000 euros and a six-month fine. 39;imprisonment. As for the transport of live animals in conditions contrary to their well-being, it is also an offense, punishable by a fine of 750 euros.

ZOOM – The slaughter of an animal, an obligation for Muslims?

L'Aïd el-Kébir is consideredé by Muslims as a celebration of their faith. Many traditions accompany this period. Muslims share prayers and meals. The most famous tradition of Aïd el-Kébir is the sacrifice of an animal. This is generally a sheep, a goat or a calf. Animals must be at least one to four years old. two years. Tradition commands the head of the family to kill the animal by draining it of its blood, without knocking it out and using a sharp knife: the sufferings of the # Animal safety should be minimized.

The sacrifice of a sheep is the major ritual of Aïd el-Kébir  © jjspring – Fotolia

Many families choose to sacrifice a sheep in a specialized slaughterhouse. or to order the meat of a beast killed according to the rite. It is customary to divide the meat into three equal parts. The first goes back to; the family, the second to neighbors, friends, colleagues and acquaintances, the third to the poor and destitute. The poorest are not required to practice this sacrifice. For certain Muslim leaders, the sacrifice of the animal is a recommendation – which has become by force of family and cultural habits, a rite which seems obligatory, but which can very well be replaced. by a donation made to the needy, if this corresponds to its financial equivalent.

Practicing Muslims are called to pray in the morning, during the solemn prayerorganized in mosques for the occasion. Each believer is then invited to join us. à go to approved slaughterhouses to carry out the sacrifice of the animal according to the rite . Regarding the organization of this day, the rituals differ depending on the country. In Jordan, for example, Aïd el-Kebir is celebrated by the preparation of special pastries, while in Kuwait, the celebration spreads over a week during which sweets are banned. In Pakistan, the Aïd el-Adha festivities last an entire month, during which believers fast for the first 10 days.

The "feast of sacrifice" is synonymous with share. On this day of celebration, it is recommended to multiply gifts and alms. The festivals of Aïd el-Kébir and l' Aïd el-Fitr have the same prayer in common, and only the moment when they take place differentiates them. Indeed, the prayer of Aïd el-Adha is celebrated earlier than that of l'Aïd el-Fitr. Furthermore, the greeting formula "Aïd Mubarak" remains the same for these two holidays of the Muslim calendar.

How to wish &agrav; Muslim relatives a happy celebration of Aïd el-Kébir in France or in the countries of the Maghreb ? During the   ;quot;feast of sacrifice" (as during the celebration of Aïd el-Fitr, or celebration at the end of the fast of Ramadan), the traditional Muslim greeting  "Aïd mubarak" is used. It corresponds to & the Arabic/Persian/Urdu version, when "Aïd mabrouk" refers to the dialectal Arabic version (darija). In French, this expression translates as "Bonne fete (from l'Aïd)", "félicitations& quot; or "happy birthday", although the formula is redundant, since Aïd is already there. a party.

Muslims greet each other with the words of "Aïd mubarak" after having prayed the Aïd prayer. Pronouncing these words is not an obligation of the Muslim religion, although they are part of a strong cultural and religious tradition. "Aïd" designates the religious event, when "mubarak" wishes "that it is good for you" or "God bless you". 

The best known name is Aïd el-Kébir (“the great party” in Arabic). The expression is mainly used in the Maghreb. However, many countries, particularly in the Middle East, more readily use the name Aïd al-Adha (“feast of sacrifice”). In West Africa and Central Africa, the term Tabaski is used. It is appropriate to distinguish the Aïd el-Kebir from the Aïd el-Fitr ("small party"), which marks the break of the fast during Ramadan with a shared meal.

The pilgrimage & Mecca attracts millions of faithful every year © Jasmin Merdan – Fotolia

L’Aïd el-Kébir marks the end of another essential tradition for believers: that of pilgrimage to the holy places of La Mecca, or Hajj. This ritual takes place between the 8th and 13th of the month of dhou al-hijja of the Islamic calendar. The Hajj constitutes one of the five pillars of Islam , with the profession of faith, daily prayers, alms and Ramadan.

Certain rituals carried out during pilgrimages Mecca recalls the episode of the sacrifice of Ibrahim. Thus, it is customary to go to Mina – place located near the sacred city and supposed place of où this prophet took his son – to throw stones on pillars. This act symbolizes faith and the rejection of the temptation of the devil, à the image of Ibrahim in the Koran.