President Rodrigo Duterte has declared July 20, 2021 a regular holiday throughout the country in observance of Eid’l Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice.

Proclamation No. 1189, signed by Duterte on Thursday, allows Filipino Muslims to observe Eid’l Adha “subject to existing community quarantine and social distancing measures.”

This is the second time Eid’l Adha will be observed amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic in the country.

The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos earlier recommended that July 20 be declared as a national holiday in observance of Eid’l Adha.

Eid’l Adha is one of the two greatest feasts of Islam, the other being Eid’l Fitr.

Republic Act No. 9649 provides that Eid’l Adha shall be observed as a regular holiday.

Eid’l Adha marks the culmination of the hajj (pilgrimage) rites at Minā, Saudi Arabia, near Mecca, but is celebrated by Muslims throughout the world.

Like Eid’l Fitr, it is distinguished by the performance of communal prayer at daybreak on its first day.

The festival is celebrated on the 10th day of the last month of the Islamic calendar and continues for an additional three days.

It commemorates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God’s command. (PNA)