Now that the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, is complete, Muslims all over the world are observing Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice. These “days of remembrance” feature a feast honoring Abraham who, according to Muslim tradition, was prepared to sacrifice his son Ishmael before God sent a ram in his place. To commemorate this event, worshippers sacrifice sheep, cows, and camels, and share the meat among family, neighbors, and the needy. Collected here are scenes of this year’s Hajj and Eid al-Adha, from Mecca and around the globe (with a few photos from last year as well).
A Nepalese Muslim boy offers prayers during Eid al-Adha festival at the Jama Mosque in Katmandu, Nepal. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
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Muslim pilgrims pray atop Mount Thor in the holy city of Mecca ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, on October 11, 2013. Mount Thor marks the start of the journey of the Prophet Mohammad and his companion Abu Bakr Al-Sadeeq from Mecca to Medina. It houses Thor cave where Prophet Mohammed is believed to have hid from the people of Quraish before his Hijra (migration) to Medina.(Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)
People ride an overflowing train at a railway station in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on October 15, 2013. Eid Al-Adha, known as the ‘Feast of the Sacrifice’, is one of the most significant festivals on the Muslim calendar. On this day, Muslims in countries around the world start the day with prayer and spend time with family, offer gifts and often give to charity. It is customary for Muslims family to honor Allah by sacrificing a sheep or goat and sharing the meat amongst family members. (Getty Images/Getty Images)
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Russian police officers stand guard as Muslims pray outside the main Moscow mosque, on October 15, 2013. According to the press service of Moscow’s main police department, about four thousand police officers, Interior troops and others will be ensuring security during the Eid al-Adha celebration events. (AP Photo/Evgeny Feldman)
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A Sri Lankan Muslim boy performs ablutions before attending a prayer session to celebrate Eid al-Adha in Colombo, Sri Lanka.(AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
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Children play on a swing on the first day of Eid al-Adha in the Duma neighborhood in Damascus, Syria, on October 15, 2013.(Reuters/Bassam Khabieh)
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In Sydney, Australia’s Bicentennial Park, Muslim worshippers arrive for morning prayer, on October 15, 2013.(Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
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Pakistanis watch butchers slaughtering a camel, on the last day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or “Feast of Sacrifice”, in a street in Karachi, Pakistan, on October 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)
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A member of an Islamic sect An-Nadzir shouts, “God is great” during an Eid al-Adha mass prayer at Mawang Lake in Indonesia’s South Sulawesi Province, on October 14, 2013. Members of the small sect called An-Nadzir color their hair, live a basic life of farming and fishing, condemn militancy of any kind, and believe in salvation without discrimination and living in peace with others. (Reuters/Yusuf Ahmad)
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A mosque, reflected in a eye of a bull that was tied to a pole during the Kurban Bairam (Eid al-Adha) festival in the small town of Ivie, Belarus, on October 15, 2013. (Reuters/Vasily Fedosenko)
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Muslims pray in an open air basketball field in the city of Corinth, near Athens, Greece, on October 15, 2013. Mosques have been a thorny issue for a long time in Greece, where the population is predominantly Greek Orthodox. Athens is one of the few European capitals without an official mosque. (Valerie Gache/AFP/Getty Images)
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A bull attacks a boy after running away from Pakistani butchers trying to slaughter it, on the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, in Karachi, Pakistan, on October 27, 2012. The boy was slightly injured according to the photographer. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)
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Muslims pray during Eid el-Kebir at a mosque in Koumassi, in the Ivorian capital Abidjan, on October 15, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid el-Kebir, also known as Eid al-Adha, by slaughtering sheep, goats, camels and cows to commemorate Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son on God’s command. (Reuters/Thierry Gouegnon)
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A girl prays during Eid el-Kebir at a mosque in Koumassi, Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on October 15, 2013. (Reuters/Thierry Gouegnon)
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Indonesian Muslims perform Eid Al-Adha prayer at Parangkusumo Beach, on October 15, 2013 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.(Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)
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