All you need to know about Eid el Kebir

Eid el Kebir ( العيد الكبير ) is made up of two Arabic words, Eid for festival, and kebir which means big. It is therefore "the great festival". It is indeed the most іmроrtаnt festival for Muslims; in fact we often say, quite simply, "Eid".  Everything comes to a halt, everyone gets together and no one has to work.

There is no difference, it is the same celebration under two different names. Eid Al Adha ( عيد الأضحى ) means the " Festival of Sacrifice ", referring to the sheep that is sacrificed on that day and the sheep that Ibrahim/Abraham sacrificed in place of hisson. Eid Al Adha is in fact the 'official' name of this festival.

These are two different celebrations. Eid El Fitr ( عيد الفطر ), the festival of the breaking of the fast, which is also called Eid El Seghir, the little festival ( عيد الصغير ) takes place at the end of Ramadan. Eid El Kebir takes place seventy days later.

In Morocco, Berber speakers speak of Tafaska (ⵜⴰⴼⴰⵙⴽⴰ) (and of anougoud n'tfaska, the sacrificial sheep). In Iran, Turkey and the Balkans, there are different names based on the root 'Kurban', which means sacrifice. Africans may speak of Tabaski or Tobaski... in short, each country can use words from its own language to refer to sacrifice.

In Western countries, we often speak of the "Lamb festival", even though the poor animal is not celebrating on that day.

Finally, in some countries, it's known as the "salty feast", as opposed to Aïd el Fitr, the "sweet feast" where lots of sweets are eaten.

Eid el Kebir is relatively easy to pronounce: "as it's written", and you can listen to the pronunciation here. On the other hand, the "d" in Eid Al Adha is followed by an "h", and you have to mark the break between the two (listen here).

It's not as complicated as dal, that 'unpronounceable' letter that characterises Arabic, but it's still a bit tricky.

The sacrifice of the sheep at Eid has several meanings. Firstly, it commemorates that very important moment for all the religions of the Book when God prevented Abraham from sacrificing his son and substituted a ram so that the sacrifice could be made. This is both the definitive ban on human sacrifice and recognition of Abraham's faith and obedience. The three religions have slightly different interpretations of this story, which remains fundamental.

The sacrifice of a male sheep is in the tradition of animals sacrificed at the Temple, and is a normal sacrifice for a people of shepherds. Even today, a sheep can be sacrificed on any occasion to honour a guest.

But the Eid sheep is also an animal that symbolises charity: its meat must be distributed to everyone, there must be no one left behind. Here again, in countries where people can often go hungry, the full belly of Eid is a moment of sharing that brings the community together.

No. The sacrifice of the sheep is what is called a "ѕunnа" in Islam, something very strongly recommended, but which is not obligatory, like the fasting during Ramadan or the five prayers a day. It's even less important than pilgrimage, which is "an obligation when you can do it".

Yet, socially, it's considered an obligation, especially in Morocco. It's such a shame not to be able to buy your sheep that a soldier has committed suicide because of it.

In theory, each head of family should sacrifice a sheep for himself and his family. In practice, it is very often butchers who pass from family to family and carry out the sacrifice, in accordance with the rules (in particular, the animal must not be made to suffer).

The father of the family takes part in the sacrifice, holding the sheep or putting his hand on the knife.

Even the King of Morocco makes the sacrifice, surrounded by people whom he honours in this way, and who will hold the sheep and accompany the gesture...

When the sacrificer is in a slaughterhouse, for each sheep, he will say the name of the person for whom the sheep is slaughtered.

In Morocco (maliki country) , the family is considered to be all related persons who live in the same house as the person making the sacrifice. This means, for example, that the couple guarding a property must have their own sheep.

However, there's nothing to stop you giving them money to buy their own sheep!

Yes, if the father is no longer there, a woman can (must) buy a sheep and make the sacrifice. These women usually get help, but there's absolutely nothing to stop them doing the sacrifice themselves. It just puts an extra burden on their shoulders, as they'll be very busy cooking afterwards ....

We've already told you about the different breeds of mutton and the criteria Moroccans use to choose them. In addition to aesthetic and taste criteria, there are also criteria imposed by religion for the sacrifice to be valid:

• a male sheep
• it must be one year old
• it must not have its tail cut off, be one-eyed or lame

While the sheep is symbolic of Eid and refers directly to the sheep sent by God to Ibrahim, another animal can be sacrificed, depending on what is available locally.

In Morocco, in particular, goats are often sacrificed if you are diabetic, as their meat is less fatty than mutton. You can also sacrifice large animals, such as oxen or dromedaries (and in this case, you are allowed to group together to spread the cost).

"That's debatable" (and debated), because the ritual talks specifically about sacrifice. Nevertheless, as there is no obligation on Muslims to eat the meat of the sheep, it is accepted that they can "share the whole of their sheep" with the poor, in other words give money to an association instead of buying a sheep themselves.

The sacrifice must take place on the day of Eid itself, but after the morning prayer, which brings everyone together at the mosque, and before the evening prayer of the third day. However, there's nothing to stop you collecting your sheep the next day, if you don't sacrifice it yourself.

The animal must be killed very quickly, without suffering, by slicing the carotid artery without completely separating the head from the body. The animal must not see the knife (so as not to be frightened, a common sense prescription that all farmers try to respect). The person who kills the animal must face Mecca and say "Bismillah Allah Akbar" (By the grace of God, God is great).

In Morocco, as in all Muslim countries, the sacrifice is performed at home. Moroccan homes are equipped with a large hook on the terrace from which the sheep carcass can be hung for butchering and processing.

In most Western countries, it is now forbidden to slaughter an animal at home, so it is done in slaughterhouses, according to the Muslim rite. (The question of electro-narcosis before slaughter is a big debate; out of respect for religious beliefs, it is often allowed to do without).

In Mecca, Eid Al Adha marks the end of the pilgrimage, after the stoning ritual at Mina (reminiscent of Abraham using stones to chase away the demon that had come to tempt him and told him not to sacrifice his son). Given the number of pilgrims, sheep are also sacrificed in slaughterhouses and distributed to pilgrims.

Mutton has a special significance. It is often said to bring the baraka. In any case, everyone must take part in the feast. It is therefore customary to divide the meat into three parts: one third for the family, one third for later use (that can also be given to friends and extended family) and one third for the poor.

Between 1,600 and 2,000 dirhams (€160 to €200, £125 to £160, $160 to $200).

The price of a sheep depends on the country, of course, but also on the weather conditions, the time of year (since the sheep must be at least one year old, if the Eid takes place at a time far from the usual lambing period, breeders will have to keep the animals for longer) and their individual qualities.

In Morocco, the Covid period has taken its toll on breeders, with very hot summers and irrigation problems not helping matters. So, to prevent the price of mutton from rocketing, Morocco imported a large number of sheep in 2023, so as to be able to meet demand without prices rocketing.

But don't forget that 2,000 dirhams is almost a month of the minimal wage!

No, you shouldn't go into debt. You are not religiously obliged to buy sheep, especially if you can't afford it.

Every year there are more and more offers of consumer credit to buy sheep. This is doubly forbidden, since these loans come with a interest rate, forbidden in Islam ("riba" or "usury").

The date of the next Eid el Kebir will be Wednesday 27 May 2026.

Eid el Kebir is a festival determined by the Muslim calendar, and takes place on 10 and 11 Dhu al-Hijjah, which is the second month following Ramadan, during which the pilgrimage to Mecca takes place.

But the Muslim calendar, or hijri, is completely lunar, with no correction in relation to the sun, as is the case with the Jewish calendar, for example. So each year the date shifts by around ten days, and in 2023 it will be the last time before 2050 that Eid el Kebir will take place during the summer holidays.

The festival lasts two days in the Muslim calendar.

In Morocco, there are three public holidays for Eid, but this mainly concerns large companies, banks and government departments. Shops such as supermarkets generally reopen on the second day. But many small shops remain closed because people leave the big cities to celebrate Eid with their families.

In most Western countries, people can take a day off for Eid. In France, for example, you cannot be refused a day off, nor can you be forced to sit an exam on that day.

The first day of Eid begins with the morning prayer, which starts at around 8.30-9am. This is followed by the sacrifice of the sheep and visits to the neighbours. Once the sheep has been killed, the women immediately take care of the offal, to prevent it from spoiling, and then prepare the meat.

Lunch is usually a tagine and salad.

The day is spent visiting each other, and in the evening the family eats the famous boulfafs (skewers of mutton liver grilled in fat and seasoned with salt and cumin). It's the next day that we start tasting the mutton itself.

Eid cuisine is fairly simple, as the wоmеn are too busy preparing the meat to make complex dishes. In Morocco, the two traditional Eid el Kebir dishes are:

• boulfafs (بولفاف ), liver kebabs, on the first evening, grilled on the kanoun (brazier), interlaced with small pieces of crépine and seasoned with salt and cumin ;
• gueddid (قديد), which is mutton spiced with garlic, coriander, cumin and pepper, and dried; it allows the meat to be preserved for several months; it is eaten in tagine, having it desalted, or in small pieces with eggs, like khili.

We start wishing each other Eid after the morning prayer, which officially begins the festival.

In Morocco, you'll hear three slightly different formulas:

• Eid Mubarak Saïd, often abbreviated to Eid Mubarak
• also known as Mabruk el Eid
• Bsaha Eidek, and finally a last formula, in Darija, which could be translated word for word as "a good Eid to you".

Mubarak ( مبارك ), Mabruk in Darija is a wish that means "may it be good for you". Saïd means happy: we therefore wish each other a happy and good Eid, in the sense of profitable, more than "good day".

It's customary to give children new clothes so that they can celebrate the holiday, and adults too. Wearing nice clothes, new if possible, is one of the recommendations.

Children may also receive toys or small sums of money, while women may receive a perfume or a piece of jewellery.