Hari Raya Haji Festival

About Hari Raya Haji Festival
Hari Raya Haji is also known as the "pilgrimage festival" or the Festival of Sacrifice. It is a festival that is celebrated by the Muslims on the tenth day of the 12th month in the Muslim calendar. The Muslim calendar consists of months with alternating 29 and 30 days. It is 11 days shorter compared to the 365-day Gregorian calendar, the calendar that we are currently using.


History of Hari Raya Haji
Hari Raya Haji is a festival that marks the conclusion of the annual Hajj - the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, when the pilgrims are given the title of Haji for men and Hajjah for women. The Hajj refers to the time when Muslims display solidarity and submit themselves to God. The Hari Raya Haji also commemorates Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail in an act of obedience to God. In Singapore, Hari Raya Haji is a public holiday as there is a great number of Muslims in Singapore who celebrates this important festival. The Hari Raya Haji Festival is celebrated from the 27th November to the 30th November in 2009. In 2010 it will be from 16th November to 19th November.


How do people celebrate Hari Raya Haji’s day?
The Muslims celebrate Hari Raya Haji by going to the mosque and offer thanksgiving prayers. A common practice seen during the Hari Raya Haji is the sacrifice of an animal be it the sheep or cow, which is known as the korban. The meat will then be distributed among the relatives and also the poor. The reason why they sacrificed sheep or cows is because when Prophet Ibrahim is about to sacrifice his son Ismail in an act of obedience to God, a ram appeared in his place at the last moment. On the day of Hari Raya Haji, Muslims also pay visit to their friends and relatives.


During the sacrifice, prayers are uttered and the sheep's throat is slit. This action must be done with confidence and quickly so as to minimise the animal's suffering. The way of slaughtering the animal must be in accordance to the Islamic law. In this way, the meat can then be considered as halal. Halal does not only mean that the food contains neither pork nor lard, but it refers more to the method of slaughter where the animal is being slaughtered according to the Islamic requirements.