Eid al-Adha(عيد الأضحى) in 🇮🇩 Indonesia

Eid al-Adha in Indonesia, known as Idul Adha or Hari Raya Haji, is observed with deep religious devotion as a national public holiday. The celebration begins with Eid prayers at mosques and open fields across the archipelago, followed by the collective sacrifice of cattle and goats. Indonesia's communal approach to the sacrifice makes it a deeply social event.

Mosques and community organizations collect donations from the faithful to purchase sacrificial animals, which are then slaughtered, butchered, and distributed to the community. Long queues of residents, including many from low-income families, line up at distribution points to receive their share of fresh meat, often the only time in the year they can afford it.

The sacrificial meat is prepared in various regional styles. In Java, it becomes sate kambing, goat satay, or tongseng, a goat curry with vegetables. In Sumatra, it is cooked as rendang or gulai. In Aceh, the meat is used for kuah beulangong, a spicy meat and jackfruit stew. Community feasts bring neighbors together regardless of socioeconomic status.

Indonesian television broadcasts live coverage of the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, and families with relatives performing Hajj follow their journey with great emotion. The return of Hajj pilgrims, called haji, in the weeks following Eid is celebrated with neighborhood gatherings and the honorific title Pak Haji or Bu Haji.

One of the two holiest Islamic festivals, commemorating Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son as commanded by God, marked by animal sacrifice, communal prayers, and sharing meat with the poor.