Jews observe Yom Kippur while Muslims celebrate Id al-Adha on the same day this year - the first time this has happened since 1981.
Major holidays for Muslims and Jews are both being marked this Saturday, for the first time since 1981. The Muslim holiday of Id al-Adha and the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur coincide once every 33 years, as Judaism and Islam rely on lunar calendars.
Yom Kippur is Judaism's Day of Atonement, when devout Jews fast and ask God to forgive them for their transgressions, attending intense prayer services in synagogues. Businesses and airports in Israel shut down as television and radio stations go silent and highways stand empty – except for bicycle traffic in secular communities.
Muslims are marking Id al-Adha, a three-day holiday that commemorates the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim — or Abraham as he is known in the Bible — to sacrifice his son in accordance with God's will, though in the end God provides him a sheep to sacrifice instead. On the start of Id al-Adha, Muslims slaughter sheep, cattle and other livestock, and give part of the meat to the poor.
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