The 2024 qurbani (udhiyah) season has passed, and now it’s time to plan for 2025.
Qurbani season also refers to the 10 Days of Dhu’l-Hijjah, which commemorate the obedience of the Prophet Abraham and his son Ismail, also a prophet. We mark it with the Hajj pilgrimage, which capable Muslims are obligated to make at least once in their lifetime.
In the same way that Abraham and Ismail were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for God’s pleasure, Muslims sacrifice specific kinds of livestock (typically a sheep or cow) for Qurbani and distribute its fresh meat to the poor both in their local communities and worldwide. Through the practice of Qurbani, Muslims are reminded of the spiritual duty of helping and nourishing the needy through sincere sacrifice.
Muslims then begin the qurbani practice on the 10th day of Dhu’l-Hijjah, which is the date of Eid al-Adha in the Hijri calendar. Using the Gregorian calendar, Eid al-Adha’s date changes each year.
When is Eid al-Adha 2025?
Hajj falls in the Islamic calendar month of Dhu’l-Hijjah, which is named in reference to the pilgrimage itself. As such, the exact date of Eid al-Adha on the Gregorian calendar is in part determined by when Saudi Arabia announces the schedule for Hajj (start planning now if you intend to complete Hajj in 2025).
Similar to Eid al-Fitr, it is still too early to definitively say when Eid al-Adha 2024 will be. However, because of the difference in how many days are in an Islamic calendar year and the Gregorian calendar year, the events of the Islamic calendar year typically occur 11 days earlier each Gregorian year.
Dhul-Hijjah 2024 began on June 7. Based on that, it is reasonable to expect that Dhu’l-Hijjah 2025 will begin on May 28, 2025. Similarly, because Eid al-Adha 2024 fell on June 16, it is possible that Eid al-Adha 2025 will fall on June 5. And God knows best.
