Eid al-Adha ( Arabic : عيد الأضحى , translit. ʿīd al-aḍḥā , lit. 'Feast of the Sacrifice', [ʕiːd ælˈʔɑdˤħæː] ), also called the " Sacrifice Feast ", is the second of two Muslim holidays celebrated worldwide each year, and considered the holier of the two. It honors the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son, as an act of submission to God 's command. Before he sacrificed his son God intervened by sending his angel Jibra'il (Gabriel) , who then put a sheep in his son's place. In commemoration of this, an animal is sacrificed and divided into three parts: the family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors; and the remaining third is given to the poor and needy. In the Islamic lunar calendar , Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah . In the international (Gregorian) calendar , the dates vary f...