UZBEKISTAN MARKS KURBAN HAYIT, OR EID AL-ADHA








TASHKENT, March 6, 2001 /From RIA Novosti correspondent Valery Niyazmatov/--On Tuesday, Moslems start celebrating one of their holidays, Kurban Hayit, also called Eid al-Adha. On this occasion, the Uzbek Cabinet of Ministers has decreed a day off on March 6.


	On this day, Moslem believers traditionally offer sacrifices, hand out food to orphans and beggars, present gifts to the ailing and the elderly, and say prayers for overall peace and prosperity.


	Kurban Hayit celebrations last three days, during which many Moslems make pilgrimages to sacred places in Mecca and Medina. This year, around 4,000 Uzbeks travelled to Mecca to mark the holiday, says the spiritual leadership of the republic's Moslems.