Muslims celebrate festival of Eid al Adha worldwide

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Muslims around the world are gathering at mosques for dawn prayers to mark the beginning of the four-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha on Friday. Eid al-Adha - the Feast of Sacrifice - marks the end of hajj, an annual pilgrimage undertaken by some 1.5 million Muslims this year in Saudi Arabia.

Eid al-Adha, or the Corban Festival, is one of their major Islamic festivals. It falls on the December 10th on the Islamic calendar. Muslims all over the world are celebrating the festival of sacrifice, one of the most important holidays in Islam. Eid al-Adha celebrations start after the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, by Muslims worldwide.

People enjoy this opportunity to prepare delicious meals full of ethnic features and local flavors to greet the arrival of the festival. And in the meantime, it is a time they spend with families and friends, and praying for being able to afford food and housing.

Besides, some of the Muslim families also hold a ritual at home - according to their tradition - to pay tribute to ancestors, mourn the deceased and pray for a happy future.