Prayers for festival of Eid al-Adha held across East of England

Masters student Irfan Ullah (far right) returned home to Luton's Wardown Park to celebrate and say prayers with his cousins and friends

Thousands of Muslims have gathered across the East of England to mark the start of Eid al-Adha celebrations.

Prayers started off festivities, with many gatherings held in parks including in Luton, Norwich and Chelmsford.

Eid al-Adha - which means "feast of the sacrifice" - coincides with the end of the Hajj - the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

It commemorates the prophet Ibrahim's (Abraham's) willingness to sacrifice his son on God's orders.

A ram was slain instead and the festival is marked by the sharing of food and feeding of the poor.

Muslims said prayers at Wardown Park in Luton on Wednesday

Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend Lewsey Park in Luton until Sunday to pray and celebrate.

A funfair, fireworks, entertainment and food stalls have been organised.

This year, Eid al-Adha takes place officially between Wednesday and Monday.

Eid al-Adha is celebrated just over two months after Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, one of the holiest months in the Islamic calendar.

Festivals in Islam are based on the lunar calendar, so the dates of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha change each year.

The warm weather allowed Eid al-Adha prayers to be held outdoors in Norwich