Prepare for an extra-long weekend!
The official dates for Eid Al-Adha has been announced, so we hope you are ready to go on vacation soon. So if you are wondering how long will the holiday be, rest assured that you will be getting multiple days off, as the UAE Government has announced the holidays for the public and private sector.
Unlike Eid Al-Fitr, this time around, the public and private sector will be getting equal days off. The holiday has been announced, and both sectors are set to enjoy four days off on the occasion of Eid Al Adha, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources confirmed on Thursday morning, reports
تقرر أن تبدأ #إجازة_عيد_الأضحى المبارك في الوزارات والجهات الاتحادية من تاريخ 9 ذي الحجة لعام 1440 هــ، ولغاية 12 ذي الحجة، وبما يوافق ذلك من التاريخ الميلادي، وذلك استناداً لقرار مجلس الوزراء بشأن العطلات الرسمية للقطاعين الحكومي والخاص في الدولة pic.twitter.com/2Fh5PX0vPI
— FAHR (@FAHR_UAE) July 4, 2019
The holiday of Eid Al Adha will begin on the 9th of the Zul Hijjah and last until the 12th. The Zul Hijjah moon was sighted on Thursday evening in Saudi Arabia, indicating that Friday, August 2, would be the first day of the Islamic month of Zul Hijjah. Eid Al Adha, therefore, will begin on August 11. This means that private and public sectors employees will enjoy their vacation for August 10 to 13. Earlier this year, the UAE Cabinet released a new law, unifying the number of holidays for public and private sector workers, with the decree giving both sectors a total of 14 public holiday days off per year.
So what is Eid Al-Adha? It starts with Arafat Day, which falls August 10 and marks the second day of the annual Hajj (the Muslim pilgrimage). The holiday takes place the day before the start of Eid Al Adha. Meanwhile, Eid Al Adha is the celebration of sacrifice. It honours Prophet Ibrahim, and his willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail for Allah – his son is willing to oblige, before Allah sent his angel Jibra’il, to inform Prophet Ibrahim that he has already accepted the sacrifice from his heart. To mark this occasion, goats are sacrificed and divided into three parts: one part for the family, one part for relatives, and one part for the poor.
