Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha recalls Ibrahim’s willingness to submit to God and coincides with the culmination of the Hajj season. Ethiopian public usage often calls the feast Arafa, although the Day of Arafah in the pilgrimage calendar precedes Eid itself. The national holiday serves Muslim communities throughout Ethiopia and is not confined to Addis Ababa or to any one language or region.

Morning prayer is followed by greetings, visits and, for households able to undertake it, udhiya or qurbani sacrifice. Meat is shared with relatives, neighbours and people in need, making generosity central rather than treating livestock display as the festival’s purpose. In 2026 large prayers were held on May 27 in Addis Ababa and cities across the country after annual lunar confirmation.

Eid al-Adha is a religious public holiday under Article 6 of Proclamation No. 1334/2024. Governmental and non-governmental institutions close and salaried employees’ pay may not be reduced, while utilities, health care, security, public transport, fuel services, museums and parks must remain available and other listed businesses may open. Labour Proclamation No. 1156/2019 gives covered workers twice the hourly wage for holiday work and only one holiday payment when a holiday coincides with another holiday or a legal rest day; neither law creates an automatic substitute Monday.