Eid-ul-Adha ('Celebration of Sacrifice'), also known as the Greater Eid, is the second most important festival in the Muslim calendar. It marks the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca). It takes place on the 10th day of Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar. Although only pilgrims to Makkah can celebrate it fully, Muslims elsewhere also mark the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha.

The Hajj is the Fifth Pillar of Islam and therefore a very important part of the Islamic faith. All physically fit Muslims who can afford it should make the visit to Makkah, in Saudi Arabia, at least once in their lives. Every year around 2 million Muslims converge on Makkah. They visit a shrine in the city known as the Ka'bah, built by Ibrahim (Abraham) and Isma'il (Ishmael) at the command of Allah (God). It is a place for all who want to reaffirm their faith.

Eid-ul-Adha celebrates the occasion when Allah appeared to Ibrahim in a dream and asked him to sacrifice his son Isma'il as an act of obedience to God. The devil tempted Ibrahim by saying he should disobey Allah and spare his son. As Ibrahim was about to kill his son, Allah intervened: instead Allah provided a lamb as the sacrifice. This is why today all over the world Muslims who have the means to, sacrifice a sheep (alternatively a goat or cow can be used), as a reminder of Ibrahim's obedience to Allah. They usually share out the meat with family and friends, as well as the poorer members of the community. In Britain, the animal has to be killed at a slaughterhouse.

Eid-ul-Adha is a 1-3 day celebration and in Muslim countries is a public holiday. It starts with Muslims going to the Mosque for prayers, dressed in their best clothes, and thanking Allah for all the blessings they have received. It is also a time when they visit family and friends as well as offering presents. At Eid it is obligatory to give a set amount of money to charity to be used to help poor people buy new clothes and food so they too can celebrate.

Where else do we find the story of Ibrahim and Isma'il?
The story of Ibrahim, known as Abraham by Jews and Christians, is a very significant one for followers of all three faiths. It appears in the Torah and the Bible, as well as the Qur'an. Ibrahim demonstrates true obedience to Allah as he comes so close to sacrificing his own son.

What do Muslims wear during the Hajj?
As a sign of consecration, they wear very simple white clothes. The men wear seamless long white robes while the women wear plain white dresses with scarves. These are symbolic of the equality of all people in the eyes of Allah.

RE at Key Stages 1 and 2 (Year 5)
Unit 5B: How do Muslims express their beliefs through practices? Section 4: Hajj
Discuss how a pilgrimage journey differs from an ordinary journey. Can students name places of pilgrimage for different faiths? Use a video clip to show a family's experience of the Hajj.

Ask students to write a newspaper, magazine article or script for a current affairs programme about a family going on the Hajj explaining why it is important to them. They could begin by 'hotseating' or by conducting interviews in role together.

RE at Key Stages 1 and 2 (Year 6)
Unit 6D: What is the Qur'an and why is it important to Muslims? Section 3: The Qur'an: what does it teach about guidance?
Listen to and discuss stories from the Qur'an which show how Allah gives guidance. Discuss children's experiences of where they look for and receive guidance. When do they think it is important to receive and follow guidance?

Muslim children go to Qur'an school to study the Qur'an and learn about the Islamic way of life. For Muslims, the Qur'an is a book of guidance. Prepare a class debate on whether young people should be encouraged to read books, magazines and other texts (including ICT materials) which have a good influence on them.

As a follow up to this task, students could write book reviews or an article for a magazine recommending books and other materials which they think would influence children and young people to grow up to become responsible citizens.

Full details of all QCA schemes of work can be found online at:
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes3/subjects/
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BBC Religion and Ethics - Islam
Find out about the core beliefs of Islam, contemporary Islamic issues and read up about Eid-ul-Adha.

CBBC Newsround Islam Guide
A good introduction to facts and figures on Islam.

CBBC Newsround Islam Special
Watch the Newsround special feature on Islam.

BBC Lincolnshire: Eid-ul-Adha
An overview of Eid-ul-Adha, also known as Eid-ul-Kabir.

BBC Parenting - Multi Faith Celebrations
This handy guide gives tips on preparing yourself for children's curiosity about religions.

Radio 1's One Life Guide to Islam
A brief guide to the world's second most popular faith.

the RE site
A comprehensive collection of RE news, links and resources for students of all ages. Includes an interactive festivals calendar, links to virtual tours of places of worship and AV/IT resources catalogue.

The Culham Institute
RE curriculum and training resources with a strong emphasis on the use of multimedia and ICT. The site contains a wide range of assemblies for primary and secondary groups focusing on people, festivals and other important themes and days.

the RE directory
A directory of RE contacts, including LEAs, faith communities and suppliers of resources.

SPCK - The Assemblies Website
Constantly updated, this site provides instant-access assemblies for primary and secondary schools on a wide range of secular and religious topics, including festivals of world religions.

The Parrotfish Company
A catalogue of multicultural educational resources and religious artefacts from around the world.

Turning the Pages
The British Library's award-winning online collection of ancient texts. Students can 'turn the pages' of a range of texts from different cultures, including the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Diamond Sutra, Sultan Baybars' Qur'an and the Hebrew Golden Haggadah.

Words Alive! - Special Books
An interactive guide to the six world religions from the British Library with video, images and information. Explore each 'display case' to discover more about each religion.

Please note that the BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.