Islamic Center of St. Cloud hosting Eidul Adha event at Lake George Saturday

An Eidul Adha (or Eid al-Adha) event will be hosted by the Islamic Center of St. Cloud at Lake George on Saturday from noon to 8 p.m.

According to the Islamic Center, attendees can expect bouncy houses, food and drinks. There will be other smaller celebrations across the St. Cloud area, also organized by the Islamic Center, with an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 attendees in total, according to Mohayadin Mohamed, president of the Islamic Center of St. Cloud.

Eid al-Adha, or "the festival of sacrifice" translated to English, commemorates the sacrifice of the son of the prophet Abraham. In Islamic mythology, the prophet was told to sacrifice his son Ishmael instead of Isaac as often told in Christian and Jewish traditions.

Similar to other Abrahamic religions, the purpose of the sacrifice is to act as a test of his faith to God as taught in Islam. At the end, the prophet Abraham was rewarded with a sheep to sacrifice rather than his son.

The holiday holds "special significance," according to Mohamed. "The day of sacrifice marks the special climax of hajj or pilgrimage, the fifth pillar of Islam."

During the holiday, it is common for Muslims to celebrate by eating mutton or lamb in reference to the sacrifice of Abraham as told in Islamic tradition. Children are more often gifted cash rather than toys in many Muslim communities.

Celebrations are traditionally held later in the day as Eid al-Adha begins with communal prayers in the morning.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Islamic Center of St. Cloud hosting Eidul Adha event at Lake George Saturday