Denny Sanford Premier Center hosts 2023 Eid-al-Adha celebrations
Sioux Falls' Eid al-Adha celebrations this year took place in the Denny Sanford Premier Center, because other Islamic venues in the city could not accommodate all the participants, said Imam Abdelaziz Hassan El-Sheikh, from the Sioux Falls Muslim Community Center of South Dakota.
More: Sioux Falls celebrates Eid al-Fitr, draws more than 1,000 people
El-Sheikh explained the celebration, which is one of the two main Muslim celebrations throughout the year with the second one being Eid al-Fitr after the month of Ramadan, is important for the Muslims all over the world. This year's celebration started Wednesday.
Unlike Eid al-Fitr celebrations that follow the fast of Ramadan, Eid al-Adha does not include obligatory prior fasting, but a one-day voluntary fast on the eve of the feast is possible for those wishing to commit to it, El-Sheikh said.
He said Eid al-Adha is also known as the Feast of Sacrifice, and honors the willingness of the prophet Abraham (or Ibrahim) to sacrifice one of his sons as an act of obedience to God’s command.
“We are following the path of Abraham,” El-Sheikh said.
He said normally after the prayers of Eid al-Adha, the believers who can afford it would sacrifice animals and distribute Qurbani meat to the poor. El-Sheikh noted that it is an obligation under Sunnah – the traditions and practices of Islam for anyone who can afford it.
The families making the sacrifice can then invite those who could not afford to do it over for a meal.
“The reason for the sacrifice is to get the meat to the people who cannot afford to buy it,” El-Sheikh said.
They can also distribute the raw meat for other families to cook for themselves, El-Sheikh said. It is also not uncommon for Muslims in Sioux Falls to gather in parks later in the day to celebrate together.
Believers retreated from the cetner within 10 minutes after prayer Wednesday. Only one family remained, with two of them sitting on a curb near their car, and two young women posing in their hijabs.
Their brother, named Abdi Ibrahim said they came to the Denny Sanford Premier Center to celebrate the holiday that most of the Muslims around the world celebrate as well. Ibrahim said although the tradition is to sacrifice animals after the prayer, it is more expensive in the U.S. than in his native Somalia.
“We used to do that,” Ibrahim said.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Denny Sanford Premier Center hosts 2023 Eid-al-Adha celebrations
