Egyptians offer Eid al-Adha prayers outside a mosque in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Oct. 4. Most Muslim around the world on Saturday began marking the three-day holiday of Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice. Most Muslim around the world on Saturday began marking the three-day holiday of Eid al-Adha, or Feast of Sacrifice.
Associated Press
Major holidays for both Muslims and Jews are both being marked this Saturday across the Middle East, the first time this has happened since 1981.
The Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha and the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur coincide once every 33 years, as Judaism and Islam rely on lunar calendars.
Yom Kippur is Judaism's Day of Atonement, when devout Jews ask God to forgive them for their transgressions and refrain from eating and drinking, attending intense prayer services in synagogues. Businesses and airports in Israel shut down as television and radio stations go silent and highway stand empty. That holiday began at sunset Friday and ends Saturday night.
Muslims are marking Eid al-Adha, a three-day holiday that started Saturday across much of the Middle East. It commemorates the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim - or Abraham as he is known in the Bible - to sacrifice his son in accordance with God's will, though in the end God provides him a sheep to sacrifice instead. On the start of Eid al-Adha, Muslims slaughter sheep, cattle and other livestock, and give part of the meat to the poor. Parents often buy new clothes for their children for the holiday.
Here are a series of Associated Press images from across the world showing Muslims and Jews marking their respective holidays.
Iraqis visit the graves of their relatives during the first day of the Muslim holiday or Eid al-Adha, in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Oct. 4. Muslims around the world celebrated Eid al-Adha Saturday to commemorate the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim - or Abraham as he is known in the Bible - to sacrifice his son in accordance with God's will, though in the end God provides him a sheep to sacrifice instead.
Associated Press
Ultraorthodox Jews of the Hasidic sect Vizhnitz listen to their rabbi on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean sea as they participate in a Tashlich ceremony in Herzeliya, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 2. Tashlich, which means "to cast away" in Hebrew, is the practice by which Jews go to a large flowing body of water and symbolically "throw away" their sins by throwing a piece of bread, or similar food, into the water before the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. The major Jewish holiday coincides with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the first time this has happened since 1981.
Associated Press
Iraqi Sunni Muslims exchange greetings after prayers at the 17th Ramadan mosque on the first day of Eid al-Adha in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Oct. 4. Muslims around the world celebrated Eid al-Adha Saturday to commemorate the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim - or Abraham as he is known in the Bible - to sacrifice his son in accordance with God's will, though in the end God provides him a sheep to sacrifice instead. The major Muslim holiday coincides this year with the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the first time this has happened since 1981.
Associated Press
Palestinian children play on a swing as they celebrate the first day of Eid al-Adha, one of the most important holidays of the Islamic calendar, in Gaza City's Shijaiyah neighborhood, Saturday, Oct. 4. The major Muslim holiday coincides this year with the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the first time this has happened since 1981.
Associated Press
An ultraorthodox Jewish man holds a chicken as he teaches the Kaparot ritual to children in the city of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 2. Observers believe the ritual transfers one's sins from the past year into the chicken, and is performed before the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish year. The major Jewish holiday coincides with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the first time this has happened since 1981.
Associated Press