UAE workers in the private sector will be given four days off to <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/heritage/eid-al-adha-2021-when-will-the-holiday-begin-in-the-uae-1.1245332" target="_blank">celebrate Eid Al Adha</a>. This year, employees of private companies will begin their holiday on Monday, July 19. The decision was announced by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation on Sunday evening. It was announced <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2021/07/11/eid-al-ahda-holidays-for-public-sector-revealed/" target="_blank">earlier today</a> that people working in the government sector will be given the same dates off. Eid Al Adha is among the most important festivals in Islam. This year, it falls as schools finish for the summer when <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/travel/destinations/2021/07/07/summer-escapes-10-destinations-welcoming-uae-travellers/">hundreds of thousands of people are expected to travel</a>. <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/on-stage/live-concerts-return-to-abu-dhabi-for-eid-al-adha-2021-with-tamer-hosny-hussain-al-jassmi-and-myriam-fares-to-perform-1.1250336">Eid Al Adha</a> means “festival of the sacrifice”. It coincides with the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/gulf/saudi-arabia/all-you-need-to-know-about-hajj-in-2021-1.1236014">Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah</a>, which all Muslims are required to make at least once in their lives if able to do so. The sacrifice the holiday commemorates is explained in the Quran, which tells of how the Prophet Ibrahim was asked by God in a dream to sacrifice his son, Ismail, as a test of his faith. Ibrahim dismissed the dream at first, but it recurred several nights in a row. He grappled with the decision but ultimately decided to fulfil God’s command, even though the Devil tried to dissuade him. Ibrahim threw rocks at the Devil in response; pilgrims at Hajj re-enact this by throwing stones at symbolic pillars. The worshippers pelt three walls in one of a series of rituals that must be performed by those who make the journey. Just as Ibrahim was about to carry out the command, God replaced his son with a goat and told him to sacrifice the animal instead. Muslims now celebrate the holiday by eating the meat of a sacrificed animal.
