Eid Al Adha: New clothes and hopes for peace as Muslims around the world celebrate

Despite difficulties in some places, Muslims enjoy the usual Eid traditions

Worshippers pose for a selfie after the morning prayers for Eid Al Adha. AFP

A boy holds balloons after the morning prayers for Eid Al Adha at the Azhar mosque in the centre of Cairo. AFP

Children play after visiting the local cemetery during Eid Al Adha near Tanta, Egypt. EPA

Iraqis take a ride at a funfair as they celebrate Eid Al Adha in Baghdad. Reuters

Morning prayers for Eid Al Adha in the Surur district of Oman's Samail governorate. AFP

A Palestinian family pose with a camel before its slaughter for Eid Al Adha near the occupied West Bank city of Hebron. AFP

Iraqi children have fun at the fair on the first day of Eid in the old city of Mosul. Reuters

A sacrificial animal at a livestock market in Rabat, Morocco. EPA

Jordan's King Abdullah II, right, performs Eid Al Adha morning prayers the Hashemiya mosque in Amman. AFP

Children ride in a miniature amusement train pulled by a pickup truck on the first day of Eid Al Adha in Binnish, Syria. AFP

Iraqi residents take a ride at an amusement park as they celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid-al-Adha in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters

A spectacular Eid Al Adha fireworks display at Yas Bay Waterfront in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

A man gets a haircut on the first day of the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday in al-Qamariya street in old Damascus, Syria. AFP

Worshippers perform the morning prayers for Eid al-Adha in the Surur district in Oman's governorate of Samail. AFP

Sudanese worshippers who fled violence in Khartoum, gather for Eid Al Adha morning prayers in the region of Jazira, south of Khartoum. AFP

Palestinians celebrate the first day of Eid Al Adha in Al Aqsa compound in Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters

Muslims celebrate Eid near the Dome of the Rock shrine at the Al Aqsa compound in Jerusalem's Old City. AP Photo

Palestinians at prayer in Al Aqsa compound on the first day of Eid. Muslims celebrate the holiday to mark the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham to Christians and Jews) to sacrifice his son. Reuters

Sunnis at prayer on the first day of Eid at the shrine of cleric Sheikh Abdul Qadir al-Gailani in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters

Worshippers after prayers on the first day of Eid Al Adha in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters

Morning Eid Al Adha prayers at Zayed the Second Mosque in Khalidiya, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Greeting friends and relatives after morning Eid prayers at Zayed the Second Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Eid prayers at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. EPA

Muslim women pray in a courtyard of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. EPA

Muslims after prayers on the first day of Eid, outside Al Amin mosque in downtown Beirut, Lebanon. Reuters

Eid prayers in new clothes, shaking hands and exchanging good wishes, children running up to adults to get their Eid money, and large, meat-filled feasts – all are scenes from across the region as Eid Al Adha brings the Hajj season to a close.

In Makkah, almost two million pilgrims are performing their final rites, marking the end of their pilgrimage with the stoning of the devil ritual.

Eid Al Adha marks Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to obey Allah's command to slaughter his son. But, after testing the prophet's loyalty, Allah told Ibrahim to slaughter a sheep instead.

Mamadou Sow is spending his Eid barbecuing in his Kuwait home.

"I went yesterday to the livestock market and picked a sheep. A nice Kuwaiti sheep." Mr Sow said the sheep was slaughtered after Eid prayers on Wednesday.

Mamadou Sow at a livestock market in Kuwait. The sheep was slaughtered on Eid morning. Photo: Mamadou Sow

"I picked up the meat and now we're making a barbecue. Friends from the African community are coming in to visit and say hello.

"It's going really, really well."

It was also a special Eid for Mr Sow's niece, who participated in the tradition for the first time.

As is customary before Eid, people continued shopping for new clothes, fruit, sweets and gifts despite tension in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.

In Nablus, barber shops, tailors, shops selling fruit and nuts were packed as people ran last-minute errands on Tuesday night.

"People are crossing Israeli check points from places like Ramallah and nearby villages to come visit family here. Most businesses are also closed, except for restaurants," said Luay Mazen, 41, who is visiting family later in the day.

In Jenin, where an Israeli arrest operation turned deadly earlier this month, killing six people and wounding 91 others, residents are hopeful for a peaceful Eid.

"I hope this Eid will be better than previous Eids. We hope the situation will stay calm, without martyrs, sadness, and illness. We hope that people will be happy. We hope that people will enjoy this Eid, and the merchants reduce prices so people can enjoy the Eid," Sukon Shaban told Reuters.

Worshippers at Al Aqsa compound in Jerusalem to perform Eid Al Adha morning prayers on Wednesday. AFP

Carpenter Ahmed Idrees, who makes wooden moulds for Eid date-filled sweets, known as maamoul, said: "When someone buys it, it adds to the holiday spirit. When we were young, we all have those memories of when we were little, we made Eid maamoul whether with our mothers or with our fathers."

About 115km from Cairo, Noha Hassan and her family escaped the sweltering heat at their summer house in Ain Sokhna.

"We're eating meat, we're swimming, and we're spending it with our cousins," she said.

The family is quite large. "We are five people in my family and my uncle's is made up of seven members. We have beach houses in the same area so it's perfect."

"We usually spend the night together watching a movie and eating snacks."

In Pakistan wealthier families are opting to sacrifice a camel to feed larger families.

Sellers at the Eid Al Adha camel market decorated camel hides in festive patterns using henna.

More than 250 camels have been brought to the Islamabad market, along with thousands of bulls, cows, goats and sheep.