Ukrainian Muslims celebrate Eid al-adha

Muslims of different nationalities have gathered in the Ar-Rahma mosque in Lukyanovka district and started celebrating the Eid al-Adha.

Following the festive prayer those gathered have been addressed by Said Ismagilov, the Mufti of the Spiritual Management of Muslims of Ukraine "Ummah". He spoke about the significance of the holiday and urged Muslims to be patient and united.

This year, the Crimean Tatar Association of Culture and Mutual Aid in Turkey (Dernek) and the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People organize sacrificial ceremonies in Kyiv, Lviv, Vinnitsa, Dnepropetrovsk and Kherson regions, as well as in the regions close to the Crimea - Genichesk, Novoalekseevka, Strelkovoe, Partisany.

The meat of sacrificial animals will be distributed among the representatives of the Muslim community living in these regions.

The Sacrifice Feast, or Eid al-Adha, is the Islamic holiday celebrated 70 days after the feast of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan and is one of the two biggest Muslim holidays. 

After praying in the mosque, Muslims go home to their families and start the sacrifice ritual. Most often the animal to be sacrificed is sheep, but it also can be a camel or a cow. The sacrifice must not be less than six months old, it must be healthy and have no defects. Following that the meat is cooked and eaten at the common meal.

At the Sacrifice Feast, the meat should be given to the poor, sick and people in need. During the holiday friends and relatives try to give each other gifts. In the days following the holiday Muslims usually visit their families and friends.

Eid al-Adha celebrations were held in many Ukrainian cities.The event devoted to Eid al-Adha is prohibited from being conduct in the territory of the mosque in Bakhchysarai, in Russian occupied Crimea the Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Ilmi Umer posted on his Facebook page.

Materials of the Crimean News Agency