Eid al-Adha 2020: What does Eid Mubarak mean and is there a reply?

EID al-Adha, or the “festival of the sacrifice” is in full swing with millions of Muslims taking part in celebrations worldwide.

The phrase “Eid Mubarak” gets used a lot by Muslims at this time, but what does the greeting mean, and is there a specific way to reply?

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Children greet each other after offering Eid al-Fitr prayers which mark the end of Ramadan in Mumbai, IndiaCredit: Reuters What does Eid Mubarak mean?

Eid Mubarak is a traditional Muslim greeting reserved for the holy festivals of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

“Eid” is Arabic for “celebration” and “mubarak” means “blessed”.

The saying can be translated as “have a blessed holiday”, or “blessed feast/festival”.

Eid is pronounced like ‘eed’ as in the word ‘feed’.  Special emphasis is placed on ‘-barack’ when enunciating the second part.

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Eid celebrations look very different in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemicCredit: Getty Images – Getty Is there a reply?

It is then customary to reply “Khair Mubarak”.

This reciprocates good wishes in the hope they will also have a “blessed holiday.”

You could also say “JazakAllah Khair” which means thank you, but literally translates as “May Allah reward you with goodness”.

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Eid al-Adha is a four-day religious festival celebrating forgiveness and sacrificeCredit: Getty – Contributor When is Eid al-Adha?

The celebration of Eid al-Adha began in the evening on July 30, 2020, and ends four days later.

Eid celebrations continue for different lengths of time in different cultures.

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Two men hug in Baghdad, Iraq, on the first day of Eid al-FitrCredit: AP:Associated Press

In Qatar, for example, they celebrate for 11 days. While Oman enjoys a nine-day party.

In the Islamic lunar calendar, Eid al-Adha takes place on the 10th day of the 12th month and lasts for four days until the 13th day.

Muslims begin their celebrations with morning prayers, followed by food and exchanging of gifts with family and friends.

They also share their food and money with the poor so that they can celebrate too.

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What is Eid al-Fitr?

Eid, or Eid-al-Fitr follows a month of fasting for Ramadan.

Eid kickstarts the month of Shawwal, which begins with a feast to end the period of fasting.

The celebration is a public holiday in many Muslim countries, but is not one in the UK, despite a campaign for it to be recognised back in 2014.

Eid means “celebration” and Mubarak means “blessed”, often Eid Mubarak is used as a greeting over this period.

In 2021 Eid al-Fitr will begin on the evening of Wednesday, May 12, and ends the following night.

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