Truitt Center celebrates Eid al-Adha with food & festivities

Elon students, faculty, and community members joined together Oct. 1 to celebrate Eid al-Adha, one of the two feast days of the Muslim calendar, in the McBride Gathering Space of the Numen Lumen Pavilion. 

Eid al-Adha, which translates as “The Feast of Sacrifice,” commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his own son to God. Muslims remember this sacrifice by preparing a huge feast for friends and family, visiting relatives, and sharing with the poor. 

Eid al-Adha also follows the Hajj, or annual pilgrimage to Mecca, on the Islamic calendar. The feast day is a joyous celebration and reflection on friends, family, sacrifice, and commitment to God. 

In the spirit of the holiday, Elon’s Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life hosted an evening of celebration complete with a catered halal meal provided by Taaza, homemade desserts, and a take-away goodie bag table for members to share with their own family and friends after the event. Students also had the opportunity to recieve henna tatoos and test their knowledge of Islam in a speed trivia round. 

Another highlight of the evening was the opportunity to hear from Elon’s own Muslim community. Muslim Coordinator Anna Torres spoke about Islam and prayer, providing an English translation for non-Muslims before the community had an opportunity to observe prayer together in the Sacred Space. Shereen Elgamel, an Elon faculty member who teaches Arabic, spoke about Eid al-Adha and the Hajj, as well as her own experiences as a Muslim in Egypt and the United States.

Interfaith activist Faisal Khan also spoke about the problems facing young Muslims in the United States, and challenged participants to seek out connections across religious and cultural backgrounds to form interfaith relationships that can lead to better understandings. 

More information about Eid al-Adha at Elon can be found in the recent Pendulum article here.