A festival of our days
A revived tradition
In Azerbaijan Qurban Bayram is an official state holiday: two days off are declared. The whole country marks it, regardless of how religious a person is.
In Soviet times the festival was banned, and many rites survived only within families. After independence Qurban Bayram returned to public life and once again became a shared day.
Today, during the festival, the mosques are full, charitable drives take place, and families gather at a shared table. For many it is above all a day of good deeds and unity.
A state holiday
Qurban Bayram is an official holiday of Azerbaijan; days off are declared during it.
A revived tradition
After the Soviet decades of bans the festival returned to the open life of the country.
Prayer in the mosques
In the morning mosques across the country fill with people who have come for the festive prayer.
Charity
Charitable drives take place: meat and treats are given to the poor, to orphanages and to the lonely.
Family and guests
Families gather, visit one another and call on elders — it is also a great family day.
Link to the Hajj
The festival coincides with the end of the Hajj; pilgrims from Azerbaijan mark it in Mecca.
A shared festivalA day of unity
Faith, family and country
For modern Azerbaijan Qurban Bayram is both a religious festival and a shared day of culture: a time of family, hospitality and good deeds.
In it faith, tradition and care for one's neighbour meet — values understood by people of the most varied views.