Eid al-Adha (Eid al-Hajj)

Eid al-Adha also called the “Sacrifice Feast”, is the second of two Islamic holidays celebrated worldwide each year, and considered the holier of the two. It honours the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son, as an act of obedience to God’s command. Before Abraham sacrificed his son, God provided a male goat to sacrifice instead. In commemoration of this, an animal is sacrificed and divided into three parts: one third of the share is given to the poor and needy; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbours; and the remaining third is retained by the family.

Celebrations in Zanzibar are very similar to Eid al-Fitr where many locals dress up and head in to town to meet friends and enjoy good food together.