A ritual slaughtering of a goat or cow often for a child. (It is believed that the sacrificed animal acts as a witness in the afterlife that the child belongs to his/her parents. It is believed by some that without such a ritual the child would not recognize his parents in the afterlife. It is believed that the animal sacrificed will be for the child to ride on in the afterlife).
A ritual sacrifice for a child is not obligatory in the religion of Islam.