On the day of Eid, after gathering up the strength we could muster, we celebrated. And I realized what Eid was about: reflecting and appreciating the community you have created in a world that sometimes requires strength greater than just your own. — Kinza Haq, New York City

A ritual that has lost its childhood appeal

As a child, I would get excited during the sacrifice ritual and tried to help whichever way I could. In my teenage years, I gradually lost interest and sometimes wouldn’t even leave bed until the blood was swept off.

Today, it has been six years since I left Morocco and I don’t miss it at all. I don’t tolerate the sight of chaos that reigns in the streets, the bloody gutters and putrefaction smells.

My stance isn’t related to any ideological position toward animal rights, nor is it due to my being an atheist. I simply outgrew it somehow and now find this day an unreasonable weight put on many poor families, in societies where there are much higher priorities, among which is a necessary improvement of hygiene and health care. — Anass Cherki, Nantes, France

Appreciating what matters in life

Eid al-Adha helps me mark the passage of time in my life, gives me an opportunity to appreciate what’s important (financial stability over fancy toys, and good health over new clothes). — Reem Edan, Los Angeles

Image Roasted lamb Credit... courtesy of Samia Serageldin

An all-American holiday

The child of relatively secular Muslim-American immigrants from Tunisia, I experienced a celebration of Eid that has never been religious. As a kid, it meant a day off school and a trip to Chuck E. Cheese’s. As an adult, I take the day off work and join the rest of my family for a day of barbecuing.