The United Arab Emirates has officially declared the Eid Al Fitr holiday for government sector employees, as per an announcement made on Monday by the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources.
The holiday will begin on Shawwal 1 and will extend through Shawwal 3, 1446 AH, which corresponds to specific dates on the Gregorian calendar, although the exact dates will depend on the sighting of the moon. The resumption of official work will take place on Shawwal 4, marking the end of the holiday period.
The Eid Al Fitr holiday is one of the most anticipated events of the Islamic calendar, as it marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The holiday’s start and end dates are determined by the moon sighting, with Islamic months lasting either 29 or 30 days. In the UAE, the official moon sighting will likely take place on March 29, which means Eid will be on March 30, 31 and April 1 of the Georgian calendar.
If Ramadan completes 30 days, then the first day of Shawwal will fall on March 31. This means that the Eid holiday will be on March 31, April 1 and April 2.
This announcement comes as the UAE prepares for celebrations that bring families and communities together for prayers, feasts, and various cultural traditions. Government employees can look forward to a short break, after which they will return to their work on Shawwal 4.
The precise timing of the moon sighting will be key to finalizing the Eid holiday schedule. The UAE, like many other Islamic countries, relies on the lunar calendar to determine the exact days for Eid, and the sighting of the new moon will dictate the official start of the holiday.
