ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) — About 70,000 people participated in celebrations of the Muslim Eid Al-Adha holiday in Russia's St. Petersburg and over 20,000 more took part in similar events in Leningrad Region, the press service of the regional police department said in a statement on Friday.
"On September 1, 2017, St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region hosted events dedicated to the celebration of the Muslim Eid Al-Adha holiday. About 70,000 people participated in the event in St. Petersburg and about 20,000 in Leningrad Region," the statement said.
Eid al-Adha, also known as the feast of the sacrifice, honors the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his promised son Ismail as an act of submission to Allah's command before Allah intervened to provide Ibrahim with a lamb to sacrifice instead.
