DUSHANBE, September 21, 2015, Asia-Plus – This year, Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, the fifth pillar of Islam will start on Tuesday, the 8th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the year 1436 in the Islamic (Hijri) calendar. The Hajj is marked by the celebration of the Feast of the Sacrifice, Eid al-Adha, a holiday period set to start on Thursday, September 24.
According Saudi Press Agency (SPA), over 1.3 million pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia from abroad as of September 19, about one percent less than the same date in 2014. Arrivals by air were 1,324,175 pilgrims, by land 35,050 pilgrims, and by sea 12,923 pilgrims.
The Committee on Religious Affairs under the Government of Tajikistan (CRA) says 6,300 Tajik Muslims are performing the Hajj this year.
The Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is currently the largest annual pilgrimage in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to God. The pilgrimage occurs from the 8th to 12th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th and last month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, eleven days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, the Gregorian date of the Hajj changes from year to year.
