Muslims Celebrate Eid Al-Adha Around The World

Eid prayers and gatherings broke out this week in cities including Jerusalem, Belgrade and Beijing.
A girl offers Eid al-Adha prayers on a street outside a railway station in Mumbai, India.
A girl offers Eid al-Adha prayers on a street outside a railway station in Mumbai, India.
Shailesh Andrade/Reuters

As the annual hajj ― or pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabi ― came to an end, Muslims across the globe started celebrating one of the two most important holidays of the Islamic calendar, Eid Al-Adha, on Monday.

In commemoration of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son on God’s command, Muslims slaughter animals such as sheep, cows and goats for the occasion, sharing the meat with their families and donating portions to the poor.

Muslims often begin the first day of Eid with prayers, followed by a series of gatherings with extended families and loved ones. Children celebrate with new clothes and toys, and many adults donate to charities.

Scroll down for photos of this year’s Eid celebrations in cities around the world.

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A Palestinian woman takes a picture of her daughter on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, in Jerusalem, Palestine, Sept. 12, 2016.
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Muslims perform Eid prayer at the Ibn Malek Anes mosque in Carthage, Tunisia, Sept. 12, 2016.
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Muslims grab slices of cake after prayers at the Bajrakli mosque in Belgrade, Serbia, Sept. 12, 2016.
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A child poses before prayers in Kousseri, Cameroon, Sept. 12, 2016.
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Muslims arrive to perform Eid prayers at a mosque in Kiev, Ukraine, Sept. 12, 2016.
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Men prepare a goat for sacrifice during Eid al-Adha near Niujie Mosque in Beijing, China, Sept. 12, 2016.
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Eid prayers in Khartoum, Sudan, Sept. 12, 2016.
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Syrian girls walk near the Ebul Hasan mosque in Jarablus, where Eid al-Adha prayers were held under supervision of members of the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo on Sept. 12, 2016.
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A young pilgrim throws pebbles at Mina during the hajj, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 12, 2016.
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A Sri Lankan girl prays during celebrations of Eid al-Adha in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Sept. 12, 2016.
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A Palestinian mother and her daughter after Eid prayers in Gaza, Palestine, Sept. 12, 2016.
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Muslims exchange greetings after Eid al-Adha prayers at the Jalil Khayat mosque in Erbil, Iraq, Sept. 12, 2016.
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A member of the New York City police department stands guard during a group prayer session for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on Sept. 12, 2016.
Ismail Taxta/Reuters
A Somali child holds his new toy after the Eid prayers in Mogadishu, Somalia, Sept. 12, 2016.
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Muslim celebrate Eid al-Adha at the Korean Muslim Federation in Seoul, South Korea, Sept. 12, 2016.
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Eid prayers at a mosque in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Sept. 12, 2016.
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An Afghan family walks to Eid prayers at Masjid Sabz, Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan, Sept. 12, 2016.
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Muslims exchange greetings outside a mosque in Muscat, Oman, Sept. 12, 2016.
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A Muslim shoots a photo with his smartphone before prayers at the Moscow Cathedral Mosque, Russia, Sept. 12, 2016.
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A Palestinian child during Eid prayers in Gaza, Palestine, Sept. 12, 2016.
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A Palestinian girl during Eid prayers in Gaza, Palestine, Sept. 12, 2016.
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A mother and daughter wait for Eid prayers to begin at the Haroon mosque in Bangkok, Thailand, Sept. 12, 2016.
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Eid al-Adha prayers at the Islamic Center of Thailand in Bangkok on Sept. 12, 2016.
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A mother and her baby celebrate Eid al-Adha in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 12, 2016.
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A child plays with an animal at a temporary cattle market in Zarqa, Jordan, Sept. 11, 2016.
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An aerial view of the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne during Eid prayers, Turkey, Sept. 12, 2016.
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A Jordanian child during Eid prayers in Amman, Jordan, Sept. 12, 2016.
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A Kuwaiti Shia Muslim during Eid al-Adha prayer at Al Sadeq mosque in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Sept. 12, 2016.
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Malaysian Muslims prepare a cow for sacrifice during Eid al-Adha outside the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz mosque in Shah Alam, Malaysia, Sept. 12, 2016.
Mohammad Ismail/Reuters
An Afghan girl plays during celebrations of the first day of Eid al-Adha in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 12, 2016.
Aly Song/Reuters
A Muslim woman uses her phone before Eid prayers outside a mosque in Shanghai, China, Sept. 12, 2016.
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Muslims pray on the first day of Eid al-Adha at the Siberian Great Mosque in Omsk, Russia, Sept. 12, 2016.
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An Iranian man walks with a sheep in a market in Tehran, Iran, Sept. 12, 2016.
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An Iranian woman performs Eid al-Adha prayers at the University of Tehran, Iran, Sept. 12, 2016.
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Muslims pray in the province of Adjame in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Sept. 12, 2016.

This piece originally appeared on HuffPost Algeria and has been translated into English.

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