Eid al-Adha 2011: Muslims Celebrate Around the World [PHOTOS]

Sunday marked the Eid al-Adha feast, celebrated throughout the world by millions of Muslims.

Eid al-Adha also caps the end of the Hajj pilgrimage where more than 2.5 million Muslim gathered this year, putting aside the tensions still causing havoc in the Muslim World.

Unfortunately this week-end was also marked by deadly bomb attacks in Nigeria and protests in Syria.

The celebration, also called the Feast of Sacrifice as the Arabic word "Eid" means festival and the word "Adha" means sacrifice, is a commemoration of Prophet Abraham's (Ibrahim) willingness to sacrifice the life of his son Ishmael (Isma'il) for god.

However, because God spared Abraham's son and replaced him with a sheep, Muslims celebrate this occasion by slaughtering an animal.

According to Muslim tradition, the meat is divided into three different equal parts. While the family retains one third of the share, another is given to relative, friends and family while the other third is given to the poor and the needy.

Aid al-Adha takes different names in different countries. In south East Asia it is also known as Hari Raya Aidiladha.

In Singapore, the local name for Eid al-Adha is Hari Raya Haji and in India it is also known as Eid-ul-Adha as Id al-Adha or Idu'z Zuha

However whatever terminology is used Eid al-Adha is highly celebrated by Muslims around the world.