Muslims Celebrate Festival With Prayer, Food : Gathering: About 7,000 worshipers gather in Fountain Valley for Eid al-Adha, the day after their most important worldwide religious event.

Dressed in traditional Islamic clothing, about 7,000 Southland Muslims Saturday gathered to celebrate the Festival of the Sacrifice, the day after their most important worldwide religious event, with prayer and food.

For one family, the Karahlis from Northridge, the outing to Mile Square Regional Park was a chance for them to worship for the first time with members of the Orange County Muslim community.

“This is the largest gathering I’ve attended since I made the pilgrimage to Mecca about six years ago,” said Osama Karahli, 45, who was enjoying a plate of cholas and shama kabab , seasoned garbanzo beans and kosher beef.

His daughter, Arwa, was dressed in a bright red “Gama,” “Salva,” and “Dupata.” The outfit consisted of a long, draping, beaded linen shirt with matching baggy pants and a scarf.

Saturday’s celebration of the holiday, also known as Eid al-Adha, began with early morning prayer and a sermon by Muzammil H. Siddiqi, the director of the Islamic Society of Orange County. Siddiqi recounted the story of Abraham, or Ibrahim, who offered his son as a sacrifice to God.

“The whole purpose of this celebration is for us to renew our dedication to God by remembering what Abraham was willing to do for him,” Siddiqi said. In the Koran and in the Bible, Abraham’s son was spared and a ram was sacrificed in his place.

The celebration commemorated the day after Hajj, in which up to 1 million Muslims make a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for weeklong prayers.

“This celebration is going on with Muslims throughout the world,” said Saeed Khan, a member of the local Islamic society. “For three days starting today, families will worship together and eat traditional food.”

“Every year in Orange County, the celebration has grown,” Siddiqi said. “We want the Eid to be considered an American religious event.”