عيد أضحى مبارك
‘īd aḍḥā mubārak
عيد أضحى مبارك (‘īd aḍḥā mubārak) is the Arabic way to say "eid ul-adha mubarak."
This phrase is used as a greeting to wish someone a blessed Eid al-Adha holiday.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of three parts: عيد meaning "festival/feast", أضحى referring to the "sacrifice" and مبارك meaning "blessed".
How do you pronounce it?
‘īd aḍḥā mubārak
When do people say it?
When someone offers this greeting, a common response is علينا وعليكم, which means "Upon us and upon you".
Did you know?
- While عيد means 'festival' in this greeting, it is derived from a root meaning 'to return' or 'to repeat'. This reflects the idea that the holiday is a recurring event that returns every year.
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, saying عيد أضحى مبارك is accompanied by the custom of 'Eid visits', where families rotate through relatives' homes in a specific social order to exchange greetings.
- The word أضحى is not just about sacrifice but is linked to the 'forenoon' period of the day. This is because the ritual sacrifice historically takes place after the morning prayer.
Example conversation
Maryam and Yusuf meet during the holiday morning.
- مريم Maryamصباح الخير يا يوسف، عيد أضحى مبارك!Sabah al-khayr ya Yusuf, Eid Adha mubarak!Good morning Yusuf, blessed Eid al-Adha!
- يوسف Youssefصباح النور يا مريم، وأنتِ بخير!Sabah an-nur ya Maryam, wa anti bikhayr!Good morning Maryam, and may you be well too!
- مريم Maryamهل ستزور عائلتك اليوم؟Hal satazur 'a'ilataka al-yawm?Will you visit your family today?
- يوسف Youssefنعم، سأذهب الآن.Na'am, sa'adhab al-an.Yes, I am going now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries أضحى, عيد, مبارك, CC BY-SA 4.0.
