china's uighur muslims celebrating the corban festival by kevin frayer

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Uighur men gather for a meal to celebrate the Corban Festival, known to Muslims worldwide as Eid al-Adha or 'feast of the sacrifice'

China's Uighur Muslims Celebrating the Corban Festival by Kevin Frayer

© Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

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Xinjiang province in far western China, located along the historic Silk Road, is home to around 10 million Muslims.

Most of these belong to the minority ethnic Uighur group, whose Turkic language and traditions seem more at

home in their central Asian neighbours such as Kazakhstan and Tajikistan than in China.

This important festival commemorates the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim — or Abraham as he is known in the

Bible — to sacrifice his son in accordance with God's will, though in the end God provided him with a sheep to

sacrifice instead. Muslims slaughter sheep, cattle and other livestock, and give part of the meat to the poor.

Kevin Frayer's photographs show Uighur families choosing sheep and taking them home to be slaughtered for a

special holiday meal. One family smeared a little of the sheep's blood on a baby's forehead.

Uighurs have traditionally followed a moderate form of Islam, but many have begun adopting practices such as

full-face veils for women, as China has stepped up the security crackdown of recent years. Exiles and many rights

groups trace the real cause of the unrest to China's heavy-handed policies, including curbs on Islam and the

culture and language of the Uighurs. China denies trying to repress the Uighurs.

-- IBT

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/

3A Uyghur family ride passed a camel on a road during the Corban Festival


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A Uighur Muslim boy plays with sheep that his family are selling at a livestock market


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Uighuer men discuss sheep for sale at a livestock market before the Corban festival (Eid al-Adha)


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A man sells a goat at a livestock market before the Corban Festival, known to Muslims worldwide as Eid al-Adha or 'feast of the sacrifice'


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A Uighur couple travel home from a livestock market in the back of a cart, together with a sheep they bought to slaughter for Eid al-Adha


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Uighur women sit in front of their house as the men slaughter a sheep for Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice


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A Uighur man dabs blood on the forehead of a baby after slaughtering a sheep for Eid al-Adha or 'feast of the sacrifice'


10A Uighur mother holds her baby, who has sheep's blood on her forehead


11Uighur men carry a freshly slaughtered and skinned sheep


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A Uighur woman carries flowers before praying at the grave of a loved one on the morning of the Corban Festival (Eid al-Adha)

Eid al-Adha – or Corban – is an intensely religious festival. Families visit mosques and pray at the graves of their relatives to pay respects to the dead.


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A Uighur woman takes flowers to place at the grave of a loved one


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Uighur women greet each other as they arrive to pray at the graves of loved ones


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An Imam gathers with a family before prayers at the grave of a loved one at a local shrine and cemetery in Turpan County, in the far western Xinjiang province of China


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Uighur men pray at the grave of a loved one at a local shrine and cemetery in Turpan County


17Members of a Uighur family pray at the grave of a loved one during the Corban Festival (Eid al-Adha)


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A Uighur girl sits in a beauty salon ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or the Corban Festival as it is known locally

However, the festival is also a time for celebration. Women wear their brightest clothes and prepare specials meals for their extended families.


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A Uighur woman waits to have her hair done for the holidays in a beauty salon in Turpan County, in the far western Xinjiang province, China


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Uighur women do their holiday shopping at a market in Turpan County


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Uighur women laugh as a man butchers meat for a holiday meal at their home in Turpan County, in the far western Xinjiang province of China


22A woman holds a baby as she prepare food for a special meal to mark Eid al-Adha


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A Uighur woman walks along the road through her village in Turpan County, in the far western Xinjiang province, China


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A Uigur woman walks outside as she waits for relatives to arrive for a holiday meal in Turpan County, in the far western Xinjiang province of China


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An elderly Uighur woman sits on a bed outside her home as she waits for relatives to arrive for a holiday meal


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A woman sits on a bed outside her home as she waits for relatives to arrive for a holiday meal


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Uighur women wait for visitors to join them at their home for a holiday meal


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A Uighur family gathers for a meal during the Corban Festival, known to Muslims worldwide as Eid al-Adha


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Traditional food is seen on the table as a Uighur family gathers for a meal to mark Eid al-Adha


30Uighur men pray before eating a holiday meal in Turpan County, in China's remote western Xinjiang province


31Uighur men pass a poster showing Mecca following a meal to celebrate Eid al-Adha


32Uighur men leave a house after eating a special holiday meal


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Yao

A man stands in the doorway of his house after visitors left following a holiday meal


34People gather in the street as night falls on a village in Turpan County, in China's far western Xinjiang province

September 17, 2016 王文堯 Kaohsiung Taiwan R.O.CAll photos were taken from IBT.

THE END© Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/

china's uighur muslims celebrating the corban festival by kevin frayer

Art & Photos