Feast of the Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha) in Bosnia & Herzegovina

Meaning and place in the calendar

Kurban-bajram, also called Hadži-bajram, is tied to the Islamic calendar and falls on 10 Dhu al-Hijjah. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Islamic Community includes it in its regular religious calendar; the holiday lasts four days, while the central observance begins on its first day.[3][4]

The sacrifice recalls Ibrahim’s devotion to God in Islamic teaching. The Islamic Community describes the observance as an act of worship and gratitude, with a social purpose expressed through sharing the meat with people in need, friends and neighbours.[3]

Prayer, sacrifice and sharing

The first day begins with the Bajram-namaz, a congregational prayer held in the morning. The Islamic Community’s public announcements describe the prayer and sermon as central parts of the celebration; its Sarajevo announcement has also featured a formal gathering at Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque.[3][4]

Some families arrange a kurban, the ritual sacrifice of an eligible animal, after the prayer. Islamic Community guidance recommends sharing the meat among the household, neighbours and people with fewer means. The suggested division is a recommendation, not a fixed rule, and the guidance allows the meat to be shared with people of other faiths.[3][5]

Visiting and exchanging greetings are part of the public celebration described by the Islamic Community. Its religious guidance also connects the sacrifice with generosity and good-neighbourly relations, rather than treating it only as a family meal.[3]

Who has time off

There is no single rule that makes Eid al-Adha a nationwide closure for everyone. In Republika Srpska, the Holidays Act names Kurban Bajram as a religious holiday and grants Muslim believers paid absence from work on its first and second days. The Act says holidays that fall on non-working days are not transferred to the next working day.[1]

In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the labor rule described by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Policy gives each worker up to four working days of leave per calendar year for religious or traditional needs, two with pay. This is a leave entitlement used for religious holidays, not a blanket order that every workplace close.[2]

The Ministry notes that some workers, including people in health care and police services, may still have scheduled duties during the holiday. Check with an employer or local service before assuming that an office, bank, shop or transport service will be closed.[6]