On the occasion of Eid Al Fitr many employees from the public sector of UAE enjoyed 9-day break, while people engaged in the private sector had only 4 days off. The public holiday on the occasion of Eid Al Adha may also fall on Sunday and people may have the opportunity to enjoy yet another long holiday.
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The Chairman of Islamic Crescent Observation Project (ICOP), Mohammed Shawkat Awda, shared in a recent interview that according to the latest calculations, Eid Al Adha may take place on October 5, 2014. Since this year the fifth day of October is a Sunday, the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources is likely to again announce five days of holidays for public sector employees. With the weekend before and after Eid Al Adha that could make a total of nine days.
As always, the holiday will be a bit more modest for the private sector. If this year’s Eid Al Adha falls on October 5, employees in the private sector may enjoy only two free days, until October 7. When we add the weekend, October 3rd and October 4th, that makes a total of four days for private sector workers.
As for schools, they are likely to follow the holiday schedule of the public sector. In other words, students would probably spend the time between October 3 and October 11 away from the classrooms.
Mohammed Shawkat Awda also shared that Dhul Hijjah may begin on September 26 (Friday). However, that will be the case only for countries that follow moon-sighting strictly. Countries that do not follow Saudi Arabia’s moon-sightings, like Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan, Indonesia, India, Iran, Brunei and Bangladesh are likely to mark both Dhul Hijjah and Eid Al Adha on a different dates.
Still, do not rush into holiday planning yet. There is also a chance that Eid Al Adha could fall a day earlier than the predicted – on October 4. If that ends up to be the case, the government may announce a shorter holiday in the UAE.
