What does Eid al-Adha mean and where does it come from?

The holiday’s name comes from Arabic root KRB that means everything related to approach. So meaning of holiday is not in offering sacrifices but in approach to God.

It is written about origin of Eid al-Adha in the Koran in the history about Ibrahim's sacrifice. Once Ibrahim has seen a dream where he was recommended to sacrifice his son. Ibrahim did not know that it was test from Allah, and at that very moment when he was going to brought a knife over the son, he has heard a voice: "Oh, Ibrahim, you have already executed the dream …" Allah has replaced for this person the victim with the son by the lamb. This case has occurred near Mecca. Since then people pay a tribute to a feat of the Prophet Ibrahim which has shown the highest degree of love to Allah and righteousness. A ceremony of worship of Allah for Muslims is in sacrifice of an animal.
 

Source: muftyat.kz