Xinjiang province in far western China, located along the historic Silk Road, is home to around 10 million Muslims. Most of these belong to the minority ethnic Uighur group, whose Turkic language and traditions seem more at home in their central Asian neighbours such as Kazakhstan and Tajikistan than in China.
Award-winning Getty Images photojournalist Kevin Frayer visited a village in the remote Turpan County during the Corban Festival, known to Muslims worldwide as Eid al-Adha or 'feast of the sacrifice'.
Uighur men gather for a meal to celebrate the Corban Festival, known to Muslims worldwide as Eid al-Adha or 'feast of the sacrifice'Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
This important festival commemorates the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim — or Abraham as he is known in the Bible — to sacrifice his son in accordance with God's will, though in the end God provided him with a sheep to sacrifice instead. Muslims slaughter sheep, cattle and other livestock, and give part of the meat to the poor.
Kevin Frayer's photographs show Uighur families choosing sheep and taking them home to be slaughtered for a special holiday meal. One family smeared a little of the sheep's blood on a baby's forehead.
A Uighur Muslim boy plays with sheep that his family are selling at a livestock marketKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesUighuer men discuss sheep for sale at a livestock market before the Corban festival (Eid al-Adha)Kevin Frayer/Getty ImagesA man sells a goat at a livestock market before the Corban Festival, known to Muslims worldwide as Eid al-Adha or 'feast of the sacrifice'Kevin Frayer/Getty ImagesA Uighur couple travel home from a livestock market in the back of a cart, together with a sheep they bought to slaughter for Eid al-AdhaKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesUighur women sit in front of their house as the men slaughter a sheep for Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrificeKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesA Uighur man dabs blood on the forehead of a baby after slaughtering a sheep for Eid al-Adha or 'feast of the sacrifice'Kevin Frayer/Getty ImagesA Uighur mother holds her baby, who has sheep's blood on her foreheadKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesUighur men carry a freshly slaughtered and skinned sheepKevin Frayer/Getty Images
Eid al-Adha – or Corban – is an intensely religious festival. Families visit mosques and pray at the graves of their relatives to pay respects to the dead.
A Uighur woman carries flowers before praying at the grave of a loved one on the morning of the Corban Festival (Eid al-Adha)Kevin Frayer/Getty ImagesA Uighur woman takes flowers to place at the grave of a loved oneKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesUighur women greet each other as they arrive to pray at the graves of loved onesKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesAn Imam gathers with a family before prayers at the grave of a loved one at a local shrine and cemetery in Turpan County, in the far western Xinjiang province of ChinaKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesUighur men pray at the grave of a loved one at a local shrine and cemetery in Turpan CountyKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesMembers of a Uighur family pray at the grave of a loved one during the Corban Festival (Eid al-Adha)Kevin Frayer/Getty Images
However, the festival is also a time for celebration. Women wear their brightest clothes and prepare specials meals for their extended families.
A Uighur girl sits in a beauty salon ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or the Corban Festival as it is known locallyKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesA Uighur woman waits to have her hair done for the holidays in a beauty salon in Turpan County, in the far western Xinjiang province, ChinaKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesUighur women do their holiday shopping at a market in Turpan CountyKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesUighur women laugh as a man butchers meat for a holiday meal at their home in Turpan County, in the far western Xinjiang province of ChinaKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesA woman holds a baby as she prepare food for a special meal to mark Eid al-AdhaKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesA Uighur woman walks along the road through her village in Turpan County, in the far western Xinjiang province, ChinaKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesA Uigur woman walks outside as she waits for relatives to arrive for a holiday meal in Turpan County, in the far western Xinjiang province of ChinaKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesAn elderly Uighur woman sits on a bed outside her home as she waits for relatives to arrive for a holiday mealKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesA woman sits on a bed outside her home as she waits for relatives to arrive for a holiday mealKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesUighur women wait for visitors to join them at their home for a holiday mealKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesA Uighur family gathers for a meal during the Corban Festival, known to Muslims worldwide as Eid al-AdhaKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesTraditional food is seen on the table as a Uighur family gathers for a meal to mark Eid al-AdhaKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesUighur men pray before eating a holiday meal in Turpan County, in China's remote western Xinjiang provinceKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesUighur men pass a poster showing Mecca following a meal to celebrate Eid al-AdhaKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesUighur men leave a house after eating a special holiday mealKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesA man stands in the doorway of his house after visitors left following a holiday mealKevin Frayer/Getty ImagesPeople gather in the street as night falls on a village in Turpan County, in China's far western Xinjiang provinceKevin Frayer/Getty Images
Uighurs have traditionally followed a moderate form of Islam, but many have begun adopting practices such as full-face veils for women, as China has stepped up the security crackdown of recent years. Exiles and many rights groups trace the real cause of the unrest to China's heavy-handed policies, including curbs on Islam and the culture and language of the Uighurs. China denies trying to repress the Uighurs.
