Grand River Youth Summer Camp

Eid al-Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice is celebrated by Grand River Community I Kitchener and Waterloo as a major holiday on July 20-24. The majority of family and friends attended the Eid al-Adha prayers in Grand River Cultural Center.

People usually wear new clothes and some exchange gifts while children are entertained and participated a Kahoot competition to explain the meaning and importance of Eid al-Adha. Moreover, high schoolers had conversations about the festivity and organized a small soccer tournament which the winners awarded by amazon gift cards and medals.

When asked about the origin of Eid al-Adha, The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, is reported to have said, “It is a tradition that has come down to us from Abraham.”

The Feast of Sacrifice dates from the historic event when Prophet Abraham was commanded by God, in a form of a dream vision, to sacrifice his son, Ismail. But while he was in the act of sacrificing his son, God sent the Angel Gabriel with a huge ram. Gabriel informed Abraham that his dream vision was fulfilled and instructed him to sacrifice the ram as a ransom for his son. The story is mentioned in Chapter #37 of the Holy Qur'an.

Eid al-Adha enjoys special significance because the Day of Sacrifice marks the climax of Hajj or Pilgrimage, the fifth pillar of Islam. This annual pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah in Saudi Arabia is an obligation only for those men and women who are physically and financially able to perform it once in their lifetime.