When is Eid al-Adha?
In 2026, Eid al-Adha falls on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. It is classified here as a paid public holiday.
History of Eid al-Adha
Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, commemorates Ibrahim’s readiness to submit to God and coincides with the Hajj season. Mauritanian practice centres on communal prayer and, for households able to afford it, sacrifice followed by distribution and shared meals. Participation is not measured by purchasing an animal, and public assistance acknowledges that the festival’s costs can burden lower-income families.
Mauritania’s National Crescent Observation Commission confirmed that 1 Dhu al-Hijjah 1447 fell on Monday, May 18, setting Eid for Wednesday, May 27, 2026. The President joined the 9:00 a.m. prayer at Nouakchott’s Ibn Abbas Mosque. Preparations also included the fifth Oud’hiyeti support programme for vulnerable households and market and traffic measures responding to increased livestock, clothing and food trade.
Law 92.018 of December 7, 1992 expressly lists El Adha, or Eid al-Adha among Mauritania’s legal holidays and states that legal holidays are non-working and paid. The statute contains no general Saturday, Sunday or Monday substitution rule. Its Article 3 instead allows the President to add a full or partial holiday by decree in special circumstances, with the decree specifying whether the time is recovered or exceptionally paid.
How Eid al-Adha is observed
Paid, non-working legal holiday on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, followed that year by two separately decreed paid days.
Traditions of Eid al-Adha
Community observance
Muslims may attend morning prayer, exchange greetings and, where financially able, arrange a sacrifice and share meat with relatives, neighbours and people in need. Practice varies by household, locality and means, so this describes documented possibilities rather than a universal Mauritanian custom.
Public programme
Authorities and communities coordinate prayer sites, social assistance, livestock markets, sanitation, security and traffic as local circumstances require. Venues and timings should be taken from the responsible mosque, union, municipality or public authority for that year.
Planning the holiday
Households often plan clothing, food and visits in advance, while future Gregorian dates must await Mauritania’s own crescent-based decision. Essential services and private businesses can publish separate operating arrangements despite the national holiday.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Mauritania official holiday calendar or legislation. Government, regional, school and employer schedules in Mauritania may differ; check the linked official source and current local notices before making time-sensitive plans.
History sources: Mauritania Ministry of Public Service: Law 92.018 on legal holidays, Mauritanian News Agency: 2026 Dhu al-Hijjah crescent and Eid date, Mauritanian News Agency: 2026 Eid al-Adha prayer, Mauritanian News Agency: 2026 Oud’hiyeti support programme.
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