The Eid holiday will begin on Sunday August 19 and end on Thursday August 23 for government employees…

Public sector employees in Kuwait are set for a week-long Eid Al Adha holiday.

The Kuwaiti Cabinet announced that the Eid holiday for public sector employees in the country will begin on Sunday August 19 and end on Thursday August 23, Kuwaiti news agency KUNA reported.

Work in ministries and government institutes will be halted during the entire week, the report added.

So what about the UAE?

Although it still hasn’t been confirmed, Gulf News reports that according the astrological calculations of an astronomer from the Sharjah Planetarium, Arafat Day (the day before Eid) is likely to fall on Tuesday, August 21.

This means that the first day of Eid Al Adha should be Wednesday, August 22 which, if all goes well, could result in a five-day weekend (fingers crossed!).

Last year, private sector workers received only one extra day off, with public sector workers receiving two days, after Eid fell on Friday September 1.

What is Eid Al Adha?

 

This holiday honours Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail (which is why goats are symbolically sacrificed over this period). It is separate from Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan.

During the holiday period families get together and exchange gifts of sweets and perfume, and women often apply mehndi/henna designs to their hands.

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