Muslims in many countries celebrated the first day of Eid al-Adha on September 12, marking the holiday with the slaughter of sheep and other animals. The feast of sacrifice pays tribute to the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), who showed his willingness to sacrifice his first son as an act of supplication to God. Families traditionally keep some of the animal's meat for themselves, share some with friends and neighbors, and donate a portion to the needy. While Muslims in Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East started their celebrations, believers in Pakistan and other countries were still waiting for the holiday to begin one day later.
Muslims Begin Celebrating Eid Al-Adha, The 'Festival Of Sacrifice'
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Residents of Grozny, the capital of the southern Russian republic of Chechnya, prepare to sacrifice a sheep for Eid al-Adha.
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The holiday comes at the end of the hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca.
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A Chechen woman takes a sheep to the slaughter for the holiday celebration.
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Residents of Grozny prepare for the festival.
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A butcher carries a sheep near the Central Mosque in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
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Sheep are corralled before the ritual slaughter in Astana, Kazakhstan.
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Kyrgyz men tie up sacrificial sheep at a livestock market in Bishkek.
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Sheep at a market in Kazan, the capital of the Russian republic of Tatarstan.
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Sheep are butchered in Kazan, Tatarstan.
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A livestock merchant in Kazan, Tatarstan
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A sheep is weighed before purchase at a market in Tehran.
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A Pakistani boy waits to sell his sheep at a market in Islamabad. Pakistanis are observing Eid al-Adha on September 13, a day later than in many other countries.
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A Pakistani trader files the horns of a goat before putting it up for sale at a market in Karachi.
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An Iraqi shepherd carries a sheep to a customer's car in Baghdad.
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Ukrainian Muslims prepare for the holiday feast outside the Ar-Rahma Mosque in Kyiv.
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Butchers at a livestock market near Pristina, the capital of Kosovo
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Sheep, cows, and camels are decorated for the holiday in Afghanistan's Jawzjan Province.
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Afghan customers and traders gather at a livestock market on the outskirts of Kabul.