When are Hajj and Eid al-Adha 2024?

Al Jazeera takes a look at the world’s largest religious gathering Mecca sees every year.

Hajj, the largest annual Muslim gathering, occurs in Mecca from the eighth to the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic calendar.

This year, based on the moon sighting, Hajj will start on June 14, with Eid al-Adha being celebrated on June 16.

Hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for all able-bodied Muslims who can afford it, intended to cleanse them of sin and take them closer to God.

Hajj begins 10 to 12 days earlier each year. The infographic below shows when Hajj is expected to take place over the next 31 years.

Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, is celebrated on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah, coinciding with the third day of Hajj and lasts for three days. This year, it falls on June 16.

Eid al-Adha is the second major Muslim festival after Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting.

On the first day of Eid al-Adha, Muslims who can afford sacrifice an animal and distribute a set percentage of its meat to those less fortunate. This is done in symbolic remembrance of the Prophet Ibrahim, who, as per Islamic faith, was asked to sacrifice his son Ismail by God.

Muslim pilgrims from all over the world arrive in Mecca in a purified state of ihram and set their intention to perform Hajj.

The state of ihram is a symbol of humility and spiritual focus and serves to unify pilgrims from different backgrounds.

For men, this means being dressed in seamless white cloth only, with one piece wrapped around the waist and another draped over the left shoulder, with the right shoulder bare at all times.

Women can wear any plain clothing of their choice but should observe the rules of hijab and cannot cover