Stoning of Satan: Bizarre Hajj Tradition Unfolds

The first day of Eid al-Adha has again put one of Hajj’s most recognizable rites under the world’s microscope: the symbolic stoning of the devil in Mina.

Quick Take

The ritual is taking place in **Mina** as part of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, with pilgrims throwing pebbles at the Jamarat pillars^[3]^[4]^[6].
The rite is tied to **Eid al-Adha** and is described as a symbolic rejection of evil and temptation^[2]^[4]^[6].
Supplied live coverage and wire captions support the claim that the ritual began on the first day of the festival in 2026^[6].
The public record in the research set is strong on the ritual itself, but thinner on an official, primary-source event notice for the specific live broadcast^[1]^[3]^[6].

What Happened in Mina

Reuters Connect captioning says Muslim pilgrims walked on the first day of the Satan stoning ritual in Mina, Saudi Arabia, on May 27, 2026^[6]. Associated Press material in the research package likewise says pilgrims in Mina began the stoning ritual on Eid al-Adha Friday as one of the last rites of Hajj. Together, those sources support the central framing: this is a live Hajj observance, not a symbolic reference in isolation^[6].

Social coverage in the research package also points to live video feeds from Mina showing pilgrims performing the rite during Hajj 2026^[3]^[7]. The best-supported reading is straightforward: pilgrims are in Mina, the ritual is underway, and the timing aligns with Eid al-Adha and the opening day of the stoning sequence^[3]^[4]^[6].

Why the Ritual Matters

The stoning of the devil, also known as rami al-jamarāt, is one of Hajj’s most established rites and is traditionally performed at the Jamarat in Mina^[2]^[4]. The symbolism is consistent across the supplied sources: pilgrims throw pebbles at pillars representing Satan to reject temptation and affirm faith^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]. Britannica also notes that the rite co-occurs with Eid al-Adha and follows a set sequence across the holiday’s days^[4].

That regularity explains why this story matters beyond religious ritual. Hajj coverage often becomes a test of whether institutions, broadcasters, and social platforms accurately describe what they are showing, especially when live scenes are stripped of context^[3]^[6]. In this case, the available material largely agrees on the date, place, and meaning, which reduces the chance of a major factual dispute even if some broadcasts lack a fuller primary-source trail^[1]^[6].

What the Evidence Does and Does Not Show

The research set does not include a primary Saudi government announcement for this exact live broadcast, so the strongest sourcing comes from Reuters, the Associated Press, and multiple live video captions^[6]^[3]. That is enough to verify the event at a basic level, but it also shows the limits of fast-moving Hajj reporting: the public record can confirm the rite without always preserving a full official paper trail for every live stream^[1]^[3]^[6].

Muslim pilgrims perform the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual in Saudi Arabia’s Mina as part of the hajj pilgrimage pic.twitter.com/5gkpOz6Shz

— The New Region (@thenewregion) May 27, 2026

Even with that limitation, the core facts are well supported. Pilgrims are performing the symbolic stoning in Mina, the ritual is part of Hajj, and its timing matches the first day of Eid al-Adha in the supplied 2026 material^[4]^[6]. For readers trying to separate live religious observance from clip-driven hype, this is one of those rare stories where the visuals, the captions, and the underlying tradition all point in the same direction^[2]^[3].