Eid Al Adha Dates Confirmed; Six-day Long Weekend Ahead

As we have witnessed the Dhuʻl-Hijjah crescent moon, the public holiday will be happening from Tuesday June 27 to Friday June 30.

Arafat Day will take place on Tuesday June 27 with Eid al Adha running from Wednesday June 28 to Friday June 30.

Working days will return to normal on Monday July 3. It means UAE residents have a six-day weekend to look forward to.

The holiday dates can be confirmed because we now know the start date of Dhul Hijjah – and Eid al Adha takes place on Dhul Hijjah 9 to 12 as per the Hijri calendar.

The Hijri Calendar, also known as the Islamic Calendar, is a lunar calendar used by Muslims to determine the dates of religious observances and events. It is based on the cycles of the Moon, with each month starting with the sighting of the new crescent.

The calendar consists of 12 months, totalling either 354 or 355 days, which is shorter than the 365-day Gregorian Calendar that we all use today.

The beginning of the Hijri Calendar marks the migration (aka Hijra) of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) from Mecca to Medina.

The first month of the Islamic calendar is called Muharram. As the lunar year is approximately 10 to 11 days shorter than the solar year, the Hijri Calendar gradually falls behind the Gregorian Calendar by about 10 or 11 days each year (this is why holiday dates change every year on the Gregorian Calendar).