Photo credit to Jessica Ferm and Raj Thind on behalf of the Ryder-Tremberth Trust, for more info email neilryder@btinternet.com
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Arafat (Eid ul-Adhia)
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When:
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Jan 2009 (annual)
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Where:
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Harar
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This Ethiopian festival marks the return of the weary pilgrims from the Hajj in Mecca and the historical sacrifice of Ibrahim or Abraham, revered as the first Muslim, who was about to sacrifice his son to God.
Few Ethiopian Muslims will have made the journey to Mecca - most will instead make a pilgrimage to an Ethiopian site, Sheikh Husein, in Bale.
Eid ul-Adhia is the celebration the day following the pilgrimage, which is most elaborately celebrated in the province of Harerge, where the ancient walled city of Harar is found and where the majority of Muslims are concentrated. During the ceremony, readings from the Quran and Muslim chanting takes place. To accompany this, people drink coffee, chew Khat (a locally-grown stimulant) and feast.
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