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Hoofs On Roofs: Pakistani Muslims Prepare For Eid Al-Adha, The Feast Of Sacrifice

Despite COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the government, Muslims in Pakistan are preparing for the upcoming Eid al-Adha festival, or the Feast of the Sacrifice. It is celebrated near the end of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and begins this year on July 21. Over the course of the holiday, Muslims slaughter their best animals as a symbolic homage to the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his first son as an act of supplication to God. Before Ibrahim could sacrifice his son, however, God provided a lamb to slaughter instead. Ahead of the festival, you can find sacrificial cows on many rooftops in the city of Karachi because courtyards are often already overcrowded with livestock.

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