Muslims today are celebrating the Eid ad-Adha - the third day of the hajj. The day is marked worldwide with mass animal sacrifices. Muslims ritually kill goats, sheep and cattle and then give away some of the meat to the poor.

An estimated 2.5 million Muslims from all over the world were in the holy city of Mecca this week for the hajj. Last night and early this morning, pilgrims pelted pillars symbolising the devil. The ritual commemorates Abraham's three rejections of the devil's attempt to persuade him to ignore God's instructions to sacrifice his son Ishmael as related in the Koran.

In the Netherlands, portions of the slaughtered animals are distributed to the poor through an official food handouts channel, the Food Bank (Voedselbank).