Long weekend, incoming…

Have Eid plans in mind but waiting for the official holiday dates? Well, it’s time to start cementing those plans because the UAE authorities have just announced Eid Al Fitr holiday dates for the public sector.

The news was announced via the UAE Gov official X (previously, Twitter) account and on the official news agency of the United Arab Emirates.

UAE Cabinet has mandated one-week Eid Al Fitr holiday for federal government#WamNews pic.twitter.com/Jg7arNaNxC

— WAM English (@WAMNEWS_ENG) March 31, 2024

As per the tweet, the UAE cabinet announced a one-week Eid Al Fitr holiday for the federal government from Monday, April 8, 2024 to April 14, 2024. Work will resume on Monday, April 15, 2024.

Essentially, this means the federal government will be off for a 9-day long weekend.

What about the private sector?

News on holidays for the private sector is still to be confirmed, however, we can expect them shortly, so stay tuned to whatson.ae

What is Eid Al Fitr?

Eid al Fitr is also known as the ‘Festival of Breaking of the Fast’ and is one of two official holidays celebrated in Islam. It is celebrated by Muslims worldwide and marks the end of Ramadan.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community. Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam, which is the foundation of the religion. The pillars are the framework by which Muslims everywhere live, and Ramadan is considered the holiest time in the Islamic calendar. It is a time for prayer, reflection and religious devotion, to cleanse past sins and to focus on Allah through good deeds.

When is the next public holiday in the UAE?

In the Islamic calendar, Arafat Day takes place approximately 70 days after Eid Al Fitr, and marks the second day of Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). This year, Arafat Day is expected to fall on Tuesday, June 27; then the following day marks the start of Eid Al Adha.

It is the second and the larger of the two holidays celebrated in Islam. It falls on Dhul Hijjah 10 to 12, which, this year, is likely to correspond to Wednesday, June 28 to Friday, June 30 as public holiday (but is again dependent on the sighting of the moon). So, we can expect another long weekend very soon.

Images: Getty Images

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