It was recently announced in Dubai that COVID-19 restrictions which begun in February were being extended until the start of Ramadan.
So, when exactly is the Holy Month set to begin?
The predicted dates for Ramadan an Eid Al Fitr were announced back in January, per UAE Barq. Ibrahim Al-Jarwan, who is a member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, estimated when the crescent will appear to mark the beginning of Ramadan.
Al-Jarwan expects the Ramadan crescent to be born on Monday, April 12, 2021 at 06:31pm UAE time. The holy month of Ramadan would then begin the next day on Tuesday, April 13.
However, these dates are only predictions at present and the firm dates will be announced by the UAE government.
Eid Al Fitr then falls on the last day of the Islamic month of Ramadan to Shawwal 3. It’s been predicted that Eid al Fitr could fall on May 13, a Thursday, which would mean a potential three-day weekend.
Public holidays for 2021
At the end of last year, public holidays for 2021 and 2022 were announced by the UAE cabinet following a meeting chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai.
His Highness approved the holidays for the following two years for both public and private sector employees.
This decision, according to Sheikh Mohammed, is to streamline the work in both sectors, as well as being able to give UAE citizens and residents a longer lead time to plan holidays.
مجلس الوزراء برئاسة صاحب السمو الشيخ محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم يعتمد أجندة العطلات الرسمية للعاملين في القطاع الحكومي والخاص لعامي 2021 و 2022، وذلك في إطار تنظيم سير العمل في القطاعين وضمان استمراريته مع مختلف القطاعات. #حكومة_الإمارات pic.twitter.com/UaU7tOdL9v
— UAEGov (@uaegov) December 19, 2020
The holiday dates for 2021 and 2022 are as follows.
2021
- January 1: New Year
- 29 Ramadan to 3 Shawwal: Eid Al Fitr
- 9 Zul Hijjah: Arafah Day
- 10 to 12 Zul Hijjah: Eid Al Adha
- August 12: Islamic New Year
- October 21: Prophet Mohammed’s (PBUH) birthday
- December 1: Commemoration Day
- December 2 and 3: National Day
2022
- January 1: New Year
- Ramadan 29 to Shawwal 3: Eid Al Fitr
- Zul Hijjah 9: Arafah Day
- Zul Hijjah 10 to 12: Eid Al Adha
- July 30: Islamic New Year
- October 8: Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday
- December 1: Commemoration Day
- December 2 and 3: UAE National Day
