REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Eid Al-Adha (the Islamic Day of Sacrifice) will be celebrated in Indonesia on August 11, following the result of an itsbat (confirmation) meeting, the Ministry of Religious Affairs announced here Thursday. The itsbat meeting was held by the ministry in order to determine the months in the Islamic calendar such as Ramadhan, Syawal, and Dzulhijjah.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the embassies, the Supreme Court, the House of Representatives, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics (BMKG), the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), and The Geospatial Information Agency (BIG), the Director of Islamic Guidance, Muhammadiyah Amin, stated.
Other offices such as Bosscha Planet Observatory of Bandung Technology Institute, the Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory, as well as experts also attended the meeting to determine the 10th Dzulhijjah in 1440 Hijr. As the second annual celebration on the Islamic calendar, Eid Al-Adha marks the completion of Hajj in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
In other countries, Muslims will slay a few livestock such as cattle, goat, or lamb as a symbol of obedience to the almighty God. Referring to verses in the Quran, the slaughter is aimed to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) or Abraham who sacrificed his son, Prophet Ismail (peace be upon him), on God's command.
In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, Eid Al-Adha will be a public holiday. Besides Indonesia, the sacrifice day is also celebrated in other Muslim-majority states such as the countries in the Middle East, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, and Afghanistan.
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