Muslim Students Celebrate a First With Eid School Holiday

New York City public school students had the day off on Thursday to observe Eid al-Adha, a major Muslim holiday. It was the first time the nation's largest public school system celebrated a Muslim holiday.

"This day is a big deal. A really, really, big deal," said Candy Abonour, a Staten Island parent of two who said she was no longer torn about what to do on the holiday. "For many years, my kids have been in public school from day one. And many years we struggled to take our kids to school."

The Coalition for Muslim Holidays had been lobbying to include Eid celebrations in the school calendar for nine years. Eid al-Adha, or the "Feast of Sacrifice," corresponds with the pilgrimage to Mecca. There are two Eids in the calendar; the second one falls after the month of Ramadan which will not occur until next summer, when school is out.

Muslim parents, children and representatives from the Coalition joined Chancellor Carmen Fariña on Thursday at the Children's Museum of Manhattan, where she announced the opening of a Muslim cultural exhibit called "America to Zanzibar" that starts in February. Fariña called the day a historic moment for the school system.

The Department of Education says Muslim students make up about 10 percent of the public school enrollment of more than a million kids.

The city schools will celebrate another new holiday early next year — Lunar New Year.