Morocco Cancels Eid al-Adha Animal Sacrifice in 2025: Know Why?
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Yasmin Alta
- . June 6, 2025
- . Update: June 6, 2025 5:42 pm
Morocco is celebrating Eid al-Adha differently this year because King Mohammed VI chose to discontinue the traditional event involving livestock slaughter. People in Morocco will observe Eid-al-Adha this year without slaughtering sheep and goats for the festival, something not seen in many decades.
Last month, King Mohammed VI said that he would sacrifice a sheep on Eid for all the citizens of Morocco. The head of the country, with religious authority, urged people throughout the nation not to buy animals for this year’s Eid al-Fitr.
The decision was made due to Morocco’s financial and environmental problems, which have significantly reduced the country’s supply of livestock. The king reminded everyone that compelling families to take part in traditional sacrifices would cause serious problems for people who are struggling financially.
The decline of the environment has made grazing land useless, and this has forced farmers to buy costly feed from other countries. As a result of this situation, livestock are now unaffordable for the majority of regular Moroccans.
Economic Reality Forces Difficult Choices for Families
The expenses related to buying sacrificial animals are weighing heavily on most Moroccan families. Prices of sheep in Morocco are higher than the monthly minimum pay, so families face very tough financial decisions.
The Moroccan Center for Citizenship found that half of all families find it hard to pay for the animals and the necessary cooking materials for Eid ceremonies. So much inflation has made it hard for many families to maintain their religious customs, which has pushed them to borrow money or get into debt.
Vendors at local markets claim that sales have dropped greatly, and they admit that buyers are struggling these days. Marouane Haizoun said he did not bring sheep to market this year, since he expected most buyers would be unable to afford such high prices.
