Eid Al-Adha 2021: Chicago Heights Muslims Celebrate

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL — Muslims from all areas of the world will gather Tuesday to celebrate Eid al-Adha, the end of the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, known as Hajj.

Performing Hajj is one of the obligatory five pillars of Islam that Muslims practice, if a worshiper is financially and physically able to take the journey. The other four pillars of Islam include fasting, the declaration of faith, prayers and charity.

Muslims celebrate Eid twice a year. Eid al-Fitr is the celebration that marks the end of Ramadan, which ended in May. Muslims who partake in Eid al-Adha, which translates to “Feast of the Sacrifice,” celebrate their belief of the willingness the Prophet Abraham had to sacrifice his beloved son, Ishmael, as an act of obedience to God’s command. Muslims believe that before Ibrahim, as the prophet’s name is also spelled, could sacrifice his son, God placed a lamb before him to sacrifice instead.

To celebrate this, families ritually sacrifice animals and offer the excess meat to those in need. On Eid al-Adha, Muslims typically pray in congregation, gather with loved ones and exchange gifts, and showcase devotion, kindness and equality.

To clarify, the purpose of sacrifice on Eid al-Adha isn’t bloodshed or slaughtering animals; the message behind it is sacrificing something beloved such as money, or spending time giving back to the community, to spread the message of Eid. Meat is often sacrificed to feed three groups: family, friends and the less fortunate.

All Muslims are expected to dress in their best clothes on Eid. Chicago Heights does not have a mosque in town, but nearby towns with mosques have announced they will congregate for Eid this year.

Area Muslims may choose to gather for morning, Eid prayers at 8:30 a.m. or 10:30 a.m., at the Tinley Park Convention Center, located at 18451 Convention Center Drive, Tinley Park, Tuesday. The Prayer Center of Orland Park will also host a family Eid festival on Thursday, from 2-8 p.m. at the Mosque, located at 16530 104th Ave, Orland Park.

The date of Eid al-Adha moves on the Gregorian calendar. Following a lunar calendar, Eid al-Adha is actually the same day each year, but given that the solar, Gregorian calendar is shorter than the lunar one Islamic holidays follow, Eid moves about 11 days each year.