Ethiopian Muslims Celebrate Eid al-Adha Holiday

Addis Ababa, July 31/2020(ENA) Millions of Ethiopian Muslims celebrated the 1441st Eid-al-Adha holiday across the country, amid COVID-19 pandemic continues. 
Eid-al-Adha has been commemorated over a millennium in mosques and public places where many Muslims turned out at to observe the day in huge congregations.

In every Eid-al-Adha holiday, hundreds of thousands of Muslims turned out for the Eid prayer in and around the Addis Ababa’s old stadium which is located in the capital downtown.

But this year the celebration is unlike the preceding ones as the festival is shadowed by the spread of coronavirus pandemic, most Muslims celebrated the day with families and feasts.

Muslims in many countries including Ethiopia clearly adhered to the World Health Organization’s guidelines with social distancing to help contain the virus and keep themselves secure.    

Eid al-Adha, which in Arabic literally means the “festival of the sacrifice”, commemorates the story of the Muslim Prophet Ibrahim’s test of faith.

Muslims believe Ibrahim was commanded by God to sacrifice his son, Ismail. The belief holds that God stayed his hand, sparing the boy, and placing a ram in his place.

It is to be recalled that last night, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has extended his wish to Muslims who are celebrating the 1441st Eid-al-Adha holiday and other Ethiopians across the nation.

As Eid al-Adha is one of a popular Islamic holiday, during which animals are generally sacrificed, the meat from which is distributed to the needy.