Eid-ul-Adha (Bakrid) 2027 ईद-उल-अज़हा (बकरीद)

Why Eid-ul-Adha (Bakrid) is celebrated

Eid ul-Adha means the festival of sacrifice. It is one of the two main festivals in Islam, along with Eid ul-Fitr. Muslims remember the faith of the Prophet Ibrahim, known in the Bible as Abraham, who was ready to give up what he loved most because he believed God had asked him to. The festival teaches complete trust in God, obedience and the willingness to give up personal comfort for a higher purpose.

Sacrifice in Islam is not about the blood or the meat. The Quran says that neither reaches God, only the devotion of the believer does. So the real aim of Qurbani, the ritual sacrifice, is to build taqwa, a sense of God in every action. The sharing of meat with neighbours and the poor turns that devotion into care for others. In many Indian towns, it is often the one time in the year that poorer families get a generous share of meat.

The festival also falls during Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Makkah that every Muslim who can afford it should make once in life. Muslims at home join the pilgrims in spirit. The day before Eid is the Day of Arafah, the high point of Hajj, and many Muslims who are not on pilgrimage fast on that day.

The common Indian name, Bakrid, is popularly linked to "bakra", the goat, because goats are the animals most often sacrificed in India.

History and story of Eid-ul-Adha (Bakrid)

The story goes back to the Prophet Ibrahim, who lived many centuries before Islam and is honoured by Jews, Christians and Muslims. Islamic tradition says that Ibrahim saw in a dream that he was sacrificing his son Ismail. He told his son, and Ismail agreed, saying that his father should do what God commanded.

According to tradition, Shaitan tried three times to stop Ibrahim, and each time Ibrahim drove him away by throwing stones. When Ibrahim was about to carry out the act, God called out that he had already fulfilled the vision. A ram was sent in place of the boy. The Quran tells this story in Surah As-Saffat and describes the ram as a great sacrifice.

Muslims believe that Ibrahim and Ismail later built the Kaaba in Makkah together. Several Hajj rites recall their family, including the stoning of pillars at Mina and the walk between the hills of Safa and Marwa, which remembers Ismail's mother Hajar searching for water. The Prophet Muhammad established Eid ul-Adha as a festival after the migration to Madinah, and the custom of sacrifice after the Eid prayer comes from his practice.

How Eid-ul-Adha (Bakrid) is celebrated

Preparations start days before. Families buy new clothes, and markets set up for the sale of sacrificial animals. The animal must be healthy and of a minimum age set by Islamic rules. Goats and sheep are the most common choice in India.

On Eid morning, Muslims bathe, wear clean or new clothes and apply attar. Unlike Eid ul-Fitr, it is customary to eat nothing before the prayer. People walk to the Eidgah or mosque reciting the takbir, "Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illallah". The Eid namaz has two units of prayer, followed by a sermon. Afterwards, people embrace and greet one another with "Eid Mubarak".

After the prayer, families perform Qurbani. The animal is sacrificed in the name of God by a person who knows the correct method. The meat is generally divided into three parts: one for the family, one for relatives and friends, and one for the poor and needy. Sacrifice is allowed on the day of Eid and the two days that follow. Families who cannot perform it at home often contribute a share in a larger animal through a mosque or community group.

The rest of the day is for meals with family and guests. Homes serve biryani, kebabs, korma, nihari and sweets such as sheer khurma and seviyan. Children receive Eidi, small gifts of money, from elders. Muslims also recite the takbir after each obligatory prayer from the morning of the Day of Arafah until the afternoon of the fourth day of Eid.

Indian Muslims follow local laws and civic rules on sacrifice. Many cities set aside approved places for it and ask families to keep streets clean and dispose of waste properly.

Eid-ul-Adha (Bakrid) across India

In Delhi, lakhs of worshippers pray at the Jama Masjid, and in Lucknow the Aishbagh Eidgah draws large crowds. Hyderabad's old city and Mumbai's Mohammad Ali Road come alive with food stalls. In Kerala, the festival is called Bali Perunnal or Valiya Perunnal, the big festival, and families make dishes like ghee rice and pathiri.

In Uttarakhand, Muslims in Dehradun gather for prayers at the city's Eidgah and main mosques, and towns such as Roorkee, Haldwani and Udham Singh Nagar see large congregations.