Govt declares July 31 public holiday to mark Islamic festival

The Ministry of Interior has declared Friday, July 31, 2020, a public holiday to mark the celebration of Eid-al-Adha also known as the Festival of Sacrifices.

Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, has urged the public in a press release to observe the day as a holiday throughout the country.

The statement also cautioned the general public to adhere to the coronavirus safety protocols during the celebrations.

Eid al-Adha is the second of two Islamic holidays celebrated worldwide each year and considered the holier of the two.

Many Muslims make a special effort to pray and listen to a sermon at a mosque.

They also wear new clothes, visit family members and friends and may symbolically sacrifice an animal in an act known as Qurbani.

This represents the animal that Ibrahim sacrificed in the place of his son.