While January is often considered the end of the holiday season, for Muslims it is the time of their most important celebration, which commemorates the prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son for God.

According to the Bible, God ordered Abraham to sacrifice his son as a test of his devotion. When Abraham complied, God spared the son's life and instead ordered Abraham to sacrifice a goat.

This weekend, Muslims celebrated the Festival of Eid over a three-day period to honor Abraham's loyalty to God and celebrate the Islamic values of patience, resilience and fortitude in the face of God.

"The holiday commemorates Abraham's greatness," said Hamdan Yousuf, public relations chair for the Muslim Student Association (MSA). "Muslims have been commemorating that for 1,400 years."

The Festival of Eid is a holiday that is celebrated with feasting, prayer and community gathering.

"In Saudi Arabia, there is a gathering of two million people as a pilgrimage and commemorative event," Yousuf said. "For those of us who can't make it to Mecca, we celebrate in the community."

Yousuf added that there are about 1,000 Muslims residing in State College and Penn State.

During the holiday, some Muslims sacrifice animals in the tradition of Abraham.

Observers go to a slaughterhouse to witness the killing, symbolically placing their hands on the knife used to slaughter the animal. In State College, the MSA arranged the sacrifice of animals with local farms.

Ramdane Harouaka (senior-chemical engineering), a Muslim student from Saudi Arabia, said it is tradition to divide the animal into three portions.

"We give some of it to the poor, some to friends and family, and some we eat ourselves," he said, adding that the idea is to share with others. "As long as you divide it up, that's OK."

Throughout the festival, the MSA and The Islamic Society of Central Pennsylvania, 709 Ridge Ave., co-sponsored two religious gatherings.

On Thursday morning, about 200 people attended a prayer service at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center.

The service was followed by breakfast consisting of traditional bread and sweets.

Faheem Khaja, a senior at State College High School who participated in the service, said Muslims traditionally wash their bodies before prayer to absolve their sins.

"You have to make sure you're clean enough to pray," Khaja added.

On Friday night, a prayer and feast was held at the Islamic Society of Central Pennsylvania, 709 Ridge Ave. The food from the feast was donated by local families and consisted of traditional Islamic cuisine, including chicken, beef and rice.

About 60 students, faculty and local community members attended the event, Yousuf said.

Mansoor Aleidi (freshman-chemical engineering) is celebrating his first Festival of Eid away from his home in Saudi Arabia.

Aleidi said he enjoyed the local celebrations but missed celebrating the holiday with his family.