How do Emiratis celebrate Eid Al Adha?

The festival marks a time of family reunion, spiritual celebration and cultural significance for Emiratis

Emirati cuisine will be served up as families come together to celebrate Eid Al Adha. Photo: DCT

The Eid Al Adha holiday is a time of "family, faith, generosity and cultural pride", Emiratis told The National.

The occasion has a special significance, with its name translating to the Festival of the Sacrifice, as it commemorates the Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God's command.

To mark the occasion, Emirati families gather for hearty meals of freshly cooked lamb and the Arabic dish harees, while civic groups and mosques co-ordinate meat distributions to ensure nobody is left out of the celebration.

The National talked to Emiratis to see how they were going to celebrate in the coming days.

A treasured cultural and spiritual time

"What sets Eid apart for me from other celebrations is there's a strong sense of spiritual renewal. It’s a day of joy, giving, and connection. It is about strengthening family ties and honouring tradition, while also looking ahead with hope," said Sara Alhosani, an Emirati writer in Abu Dhabi.

"A typical Eid day begins at dawn. I wake up early to get ready for the Eid prayer. There is something very special about those quiet early hours when the city feels calm yet full of anticipation.

"After prayer, the real celebrations begin. The first stop is always my grandparents’ home, where the entire extended family gathers. We greet one another warmly, exchange Eidiyah, which are small gifts of money for the younger children and sit down to enjoy a festive breakfast."

Ms Alhosani also said that food is an essential part of Eid for her. She said that Thabeeha [the sacrifice made for Eid] is shared with family alongside traditional foods like harees and luqaimat.

While celebrating Eid Al Adha is a long-held tradition for many, that doesn't mean it can't move on with the times, she added.

Luqaimat are an Eid favourite in the UAE.

"Some aspects of how we celebrate Eid are evolving. Social media has introduced a more modern flair. People love to share photos of their gatherings, outfits, and decorated homes," said Ms Alhosani.

"You will also find more families incorporating trendy desserts or themed decorations alongside the traditional customs. But at its heart, Eid remains what it has always been: a time of family, faith, generosity, and cultural pride."

Eid Al Adha coincides with the end of the Hajj season, when worshippers travel to Makkah to observe the Islamic pilgrimage.

Making memories with family

For Shahad Algergawi, an Emirati living in Dubai, Eid is best enjoyed by waking up early and having a breakfast with the whole family.

"We have breakfast together and then we kick the day off by visiting my grandmother in Sharjah and possibly my aunt who lives in Ajman. My father is the eldest in the family, so afterwards, everyone would gather at our house," she said.

"My mom makes kaak, which is amazing and it's so worth the calories."

The first day of Eid Al Adha for Ms Algergawi is all about family, they all wake up early and gather for breakfast and then visits to family members would happen.

"I'm personally a very family orientated person, so I love being around any of my siblings. You know, we recently moved houses and there's an entire wall of just family photos and we've left a really big space for this Eid's portrait," she said.

"Just thinking about these little things makes me very happy. You know, there's always something to look forward to in Eid, but it's just a reminder of how important family is and am always grateful when Eid comes around and I can make more memories with the family."

Keeping tradition alive

"Our celebrations originated from religion. So it has some sort of spirituality within them. Like it's not something that we celebrate just to, you know, to celebrate. I feel like because it originates from spirituality, from religion, and because our customs in that day is passed on from our grandparents and so on. So it's really, really nice to keep that tradition going forward," said Khulood Rubay.

"Our celebrations originate from our religion," said Khulood Rubay, from Dubai. "Our customs have been have been passed down from generation to generation so it's really nice to keep that tradition

"I get really excited seeing the whole family together and catching up with them. The energy is different when the whole family gathers, young and elderly, its something different."