Now that the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, is complete, Muslims all over the world are observing Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice. These "days of remembrance" feature a feast honoring Abraham who, according to Muslim tradition, was prepared to sacrifice his son Ishmael before God sent a ram in his place. To commemorate this event, worshippers sacrifice sheep, cows, and camels, and share the meat among family, neighbors, and the needy. Collected here are scenes of this year's Hajj and Eid al-Adha, from Mecca and around the globe (with a few photos from last year as well).
Eid al-Adha 2013
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Muslim pilgrims pray atop Mount Thor in the holy city of Mecca ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, on October 11, 2013. Mount Thor marks the start of the journey of the Prophet Mohammad and his companion Abu Bakr Al-Sadeeq from Mecca to Medina. It houses Thor cave where Prophet Mohammed is believed to have hid from the people of Quraish before his Hijra (migration) to Medina. #
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Pilgrims perform evening prayers in Mecca's Grand Mosque on October 8, 2013, as more than two million Muslims arrived in the holy city for the annual Hajj pilgrimage. #
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People ride an overflowing train at a railway station in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on October 15, 2013. Eid Al-Adha, known as the 'Feast of the Sacrifice', is one of the most significant festivals on the Muslim calendar. On this day, Muslims in countries around the world start the day with prayer and spend time with family, offer gifts and often give to charity. It is customary for Muslims family to honor Allah by sacrificing a sheep or goat and sharing the meat amongst family members. #
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Russian police officers stand guard as Muslims pray outside the main Moscow mosque, on October 15, 2013. According to the press service of Moscow's main police department, about four thousand police officers, Interior troops and others will be ensuring security during the Eid al-Adha celebration events. #
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Afghan men prepare to slaughter a buffalo during the annual festival of Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, at Kacha Garhi Afghan refugee camp, located in the outskirts of Peshawar, on October 15, 2013. #
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Pakistanis watch butchers slaughtering a camel, on the last day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or "Feast of Sacrifice", in a street in Karachi, Pakistan, on October 29, 2012. #
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Bloodstained water runs down the stairs at the gate of a charity center where animals were sacrificed on the first day of Eid al-Ahda in downtown Cairo, Egypt, on October 15, 2013. #
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A member of an Islamic sect An-Nadzir shouts, "God is great" during an Eid al-Adha mass prayer at Mawang Lake in Indonesia's South Sulawesi Province, on October 14, 2013. Members of the small sect called An-Nadzir color their hair, live a basic life of farming and fishing, condemn militancy of any kind, and believe in salvation without discrimination and living in peace with others. #
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A Kashmiri Muslim livestock vendor stands with his flock of sheep as he waits for customers at a market ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha in Srinagar, India, on October 11, 2013. #
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A mosque, reflected in a eye of a bull that was tied to a pole during the Kurban Bairam (Eid al-Adha) festival in the small town of Ivie, Belarus, on October 15, 2013. #
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Muslims pray in an open air basketball field in the city of Corinth, near Athens, Greece, on October 15, 2013. Mosques have been a thorny issue for a long time in Greece, where the population is predominantly Greek Orthodox. Athens is one of the few European capitals without an official mosque. #
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An employee arranges baklava pastries on October 13, 2013 at a bakery in Pristina, Kosovo, during preparations for the Muslim feast of sacrifice, known in Arabic as Eid al-Adha. #
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A bull attacks a boy after running away from Pakistani butchers trying to slaughter it, on the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, in Karachi, Pakistan, on October 27, 2012. The boy was slightly injured according to the photographer. #
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Muslims pray during Eid el-Kebir at a mosque in Koumassi, in the Ivorian capital Abidjan, on October 15, 2013. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid el-Kebir, also known as Eid al-Adha, by slaughtering sheep, goats, camels and cows to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son on God's command. #
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Girls wearing traditional costumes wait to dance in Bucharest, Romania, on October 27, 2012, during celebrations of the Eid al-Adha organized by the Turkish community. #
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A young woman from the Layenne brotherhood participates in Eid al-Adha morning prayers at Diamalaye Mausoleum, in the Yoff neighborhood of Dakar, Senegal, on October 26, 2012. #
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
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