Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski congratulated the great holiday of Eid al-Adha, known in the Balkans as Kurban Bayram, to the Islamic religious community in Macedonia. 

"On this great day I would like to express my congratulations to the members of the Islamic community in Macedonia, and extend my sincere wishes for a blissful holiday, filled with peace and opulence. I sincerely believe that we will continue building and strengthening the principle of tolerance and friendship that is woven into our society. Belief in God and his message to humanity should be transformed into deeds that will reinforce our mutual relations and the good will that are the foundation to the building of any society", Prime Minister Gruevski adds in his message to the Islamic community in Macedonia and to the Head of the Islamic Religious Community in Macedonia, Reis ul Ulema Hadzi Sulejman Efendi Rexhepi.

Kurban Bayram, known in Arabic as Eid al-Adha, is one of the most important holidays in the Muslim calendar, and it celebrates the gesture of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), who was on the verge of sacrificing his son Ismail for the love of God, who spared the child and gave a sheep to be sacrificed instead.

It is observed after the hajj and is seen as a day of remembrance for Muslims who use the occasion to pray and glorify the name of God and demonstrate the remembrance of His grace. Muslims who can afford to do so offer animals, usually sheep, as a symbol of Ibrahim's sacrifice. Some of the meat is given to the poor. The rest is shared among family, relatives and friends.

The first day of Kurban Bayram (24 September) is non-working for Macedonian citizens that belong to the Muslim religion.