Manila, Philippines – The Malacañang Palace declared July 20, 2021 as a regular holiday throughout the country in celebration of Eid’l Adha or “Feast of Sacrifice”. The announcement was issued through Proclamation No. 1189.
To quote from the resolution,
“The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos has recommended that 20 July 2021, Tuesday, be declared a national holiday, in observance of Eid’l Adha.”
“The observance of Eid’l Adha shall be subject to existing community quarantine and social distancing measures.”
Eid’l Adha is a yearly national holiday to pay respects to our Muslim brothers with their celebration of the commemoration of the devotion of Prophet Ibrahim to Allah for his willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael.
The declaration of Eid’l Adha is checked through moon-sighting (lunar calendar). The Feast of Sacrifice is celebrated on the tenth (10th) day of Dhul Al Hijja or the twelfth (12th) month of the Islamic Lunar Calendar. The Eid’l Adha is the second major Muslim Festival to be celebrated by the Muslims community.
Eid’l Adha is one of the greatest feasts in the Muslim community. The other one is called Eid’l Fitr or the Feast of Ramadan. It has been declared as a public holiday since the year 2002 in the Philippines
The National Commission of Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) is tasked to inform the Office of the President on the exact date of the event.
Celebration of Eid’l Adha during pandemic
Since the rest of the country is under community quarantine qualifications due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our Muslim brothers are expected to observe proper health and safety protocols with their celebration of this very important occasion.
During the Eid’l Adha holiday, the Muslim families come together in a mosque to pray special prayers for this occasion. It is also important to wear new clothes, offer something like buying a live animal such as cow, goat or sheep depending on the families who can afford to buy and offer to the feast. This kind of celebration has a common goal and that is to share the meat with the poorer members of the community.
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