Corban Festival
( 2005-09-13 )

The Corban Festival, also called the Sacrifice Festival, is one of the most important festivals of the Hui, Uygur, Kazak, Ozbek, Tajik, Tatar, Kirgiz, Salar, Dongxiang, and Bonan ethnic minorities and is held every December 10th by Muslims.

In Arabic, the Corban Festival is called Er'de Corban. Er'de means festival, and Corban means sacrifice and self-devotion, which is why people of theHui ethnic minoritycall it Sacrifice Festival.

The Corban Festival is one part of the pilgrimage ceremonies of Muslims. During the first ten days of every December, Muslims go on a pilgrimage to Mecca. The last day of the pilgrimage is December 10th, on which grand ceremonial activities will be held.

On the morning of the 10th the people usually clean themselves before going to the grand and significant ceremony. Muslims usually come to mosque dressed in new clothes and a white hat. After a series of ceremonial rituals, people express their friendship with each other.

At the festival, Muslims sacrifice sheep or cows as well as fried cakes and Sanzi (a kind of Muslim food). All the sacrificed food are separated into three parts: one for themselves, another for their guests and relatives, and the rest to be shared with the poor.

The Corban Festival is not only the right time for the Muslims to visit their relatives and neighbor, but also for them to show their charity to the poor as well as the elder, which express Muslim's mutual aid, courtesy, and friendship.