Eva Nyambura
Monday, July 11, has been declared a public holiday.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said the holiday will allow the Muslim faithful celebrate Eid-ul-Adha.
CS Matiang’i made the announcement in a gazette notice on Friday.
Idd ul Azha, also called “Eid al Adha” (meaning “Feast of the Sacrifice”), is celebrated in Kenya every year by the 10 percent of Kenya’s people who follow Islam.
Idd-ul-Adha is the second of two Islamic holidays celebrated worldwide each year (the other being Eid al-Fitr), and considered the holier of the two. It honors the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God’s command.
Before Abraham sacrificed his son, God provided a male goat to sacrifice instead. In commemoration of this, an animal is sacrificed and divided into three parts: one third of the share is given to the poor and needy; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors; and the remaining third is retained by the family.
In the Islamic lunar calendar, Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah. In the international (Gregorian) calendar, the dates vary from year to year drifting approximately 11 days earlier each year.
The word “Eid” appears once in Al-Ma’ida, the fifth sura of the Quran, with the meaning “solemn festival”.
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