Eid Mubarak meaning: What the traditional Arabic greeting means as Muslims mark Eid ul-Adha 2022 today

This weekend, Muslims around the world will unite in celebration of Eid ul-Adha, the second of the year’s two Eid festivals.

Considered the holier of the celebrations, Eid ul-Adha means the Festival of the Sacrifice, and is known as “Big Eid” by many worshippers.

During the festival, it is customary for Muslims to greet each other with the Arabic phrase “Eid Mubarak” – here’s what that means.

What does ‘Eid Mubarak’ mean?

“Eid Mubarak” is the traditional phrase used by Muslims to greet each other during both Eid ul-Adha and the Eid ul-Fitr celebrations earlier in the year.

The Arabic word “mubarak” translates as “blessed,” while “Eid” means feast, festival or celebration, so “Eid Mubarak” can literally mean “blessed celebration” or “blessed feast”, although it is widely interpreted as simply wishing somebody a “happy Eid”.

While you can specify “Eid ul-Fitr Mubarak” or “Eid ul-Adha Mubarak” to specify between the two festivals, “Eid Mubarak” alone is plenty.

In exactly the same way, Muslims wish their fellow observers “Ramadan Mubarak” at the start of the holy month and throughout the fasting period.

Muslims celebrate Eid ul-Adha in London in 2018 (Photo: Getty Images)

“Ramadan Kareem” is less commonly used, but translates as “Generous Ramadan” – while the phrase can be used as a greeting in a similar way to “Ramadan Mubarak”, it can also describe Ramadan when referring to it in a wider context.

There is some debate around whether using “Ramadan Kareem” is appropriate, given that the expectation of generosity can be considered against the principles of fasting and prayer central to observing the holy month.

However, others argue that the greeting can appropriately refer to the generosity of acts towards others. Khaled Boudemagh, described by Gulf News as a Dubai-based language expert, said: “Ramadan is a month of generosity, therefore wish Kareem.”

Both “Mubarak” and “Kareem” are also given names in Arabic, which carry the same meanings as bestowed in the Eid and Ramadan greetings.

When is Eid ul-Adha 2022?

This year Eid ul-Adha will begin on the evening of Saturday 9 July and last four days, coming to an end on the evening of Wednesday 13 July.

The festival falls on the tenth day of Dhul-Hijjah, the twelfth month of the Islamic Hijri calendar.

Because this is based on the lunar cycle, in the more commonly used Gregorian calendar the date shifts from year to year, moving forward around 11 days annually.

The nature of the Hijri also means that it’s not possible to predict its date exactly – however, observers get more warning than with Eid ul-Fitr, when the festival falls right at the start of the month.

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According to Saudi Arabia, whose official verdict is followed by many Muslims across the world, Dhul-Hijjah began on Thursday 30 June, following the sighting of the crescent moon on Wednesday 29 June.

Known as the “Festival of the Sacrifice” or colloquially as “Big Eid”, Eid ul-Adha is considered the holier of the two Islamic Eid festivals.

It honours the famous story of the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim (known in the Christian Old Testament as Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God’s command.

However, before Ibrahim carried out the heartbreaking request Allah produced a lamb for him to sacrifice instead.

To commemorate this, an animal is traditionally sacrificed and divided into three parts in an act known as Qurbani.

One part of the sheep is given to the poor, one to the immediate family at home and one is reserved for relatives.

Some Muslims may give money to charity to give poorer families the chance to have a proper Eid feast, while mosques and community groups will often arrange communal meals.