President Nana Akufo Addo has declared Tuesday, July 20, 2021, a statutory public holiday to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha.

In a statement signed on behalf of the president by the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery,  the holiday must be observed throughout the country.

“The general public is hereby informed that Tuesday, 20th July 2021, which marks Eid-ul-Adha, is a statutory public holiday and should be observed as such throughout the country,” the statement added.

Eid-ul-Adha is an Islamic festival of sacrifice.

Also known as Eid al-Adha (Sacrifice Feast), the feast is celebrated to honour the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to Allah. Allah provided a sheep for Ibrahim to sacrifice instead. During the feast, Muslims re-enact Ibrahim’s obedience by sacrificing a cow or ram.

The family will then eat about a third of the meal, a third goes to friends and relatives, and the remaining third is donated to the poor and needy.

It often falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the twelfth and final month in the Islamic calendar.

As the exact day is based on lunar sightings, the date may vary between countries.