Kazakhstan celebrates Eid al-Adha on September 24

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Citizens of Kazakhstan will celebrate Eid al-Adha or Kurban-Ait, an Islamic religious holiday, on 24, 25, 26 September.

According to astana.gov.kz, September 24 is declared the day off. Celebrations will begin in Astana early in the morning on September 24. Religious residents of Kazakhstan will visit mosques for praying. Eid al-Adha begins with a Sunnah prayer of two rakats followed by a sermon. Eid al-Adha is the second of two religious holidays celebrated by Muslims worldwide each year. It honors the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son, as an act of submission to God's command, before God then intervened, through his angel Jibra'il and informs him that his sacrifice has already been accepted. This day Muslims around the world slaughter animals. The meat from the sacrificed animal is preferred to be divided into three parts. The family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors; and the remaining third is given to the poor and needy. Administration of Astana city has defined special places for the ritual sacrifice in order to comply with the sanitary-epidemiological norms and requirements. During Kurban Ait holiday on the territory of the capital's mosques "Nur Astana", "Hazrat Sultan", "Saduakas kazhy Gylmani" will be installed yurts. In addition, there will be organized sports competitions in kazaksha kures, asyk aty, and arkantartys.