It’s now confirmed, confirmed, Eid Al Fitr starts in the UAE on Sunday!

The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (and its moon sighting committee) has now confirmed that Eid Al Fitr will start Sunday. This is as official a source as it gets.

This means Sunday and Monday are paid days off for private sector workers.

At around 7pm UAE time the Shawwal moon was sighted in Indonesia, with the world’s most populous Muslim majority country declaring Eid a few hours before we did so in the UAE.

Here’s a tweet showing Saudi officials in the process of sighting the moon:

Eid Al Fitr beginning on Sunday June 25 means a four day weekend for private sector workers from Thursday June 22 to Monday June 26.

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Public sector workers will get an even longer break, and the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources has announced that Eid al-Fitr holiday for federal ministries and authorities in the UAE will begin on Saturday June 24, and work will Wednesday June 28.

Last year, private sector workers had a four day weekend from Wednesday July 5 to Saturday July 9.

The first day of Eid is marked by pre-dawn and then dawn prayer, during the latter the city’s mosques are full of worshippers.

OTHER DAYS OFF OVER SUMMER

Thursday August 31 – Arafat Day

This marks the second day of the annual pilgrimage or haj – the holiday depends on the moon sighting, but if it falls on August 31 as predicted, it will mean yet another long weekend in the UAE. And it will be directly followed by…

Friday September 1 – Eid Al Adha (two days off)

This holiday honours Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail (which is why goats are symbolically sacrificed over this period). While the date could change due to the moon sighting, the holiday is likely to fall on Friday September 1. It traditionally means two days off, which, when combined with Arafat Day, could mean a four day weekend.

Thursday September 21 – Al Hijri

Islamic New Year in 2017 will mark the year 1438 – and, while the date may change, it’s likely to fall on Thursday September 21, making it the second long weekend in September.

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Images: Getty