A long weekend is on the horizon…

The first day of Eid Al Ahda is expected to fall on Saturday July 9, the International Astronomical Centre has announced in a post carried by state news agency, wam.

In the Islamic calendar, Arafat Day takes place approximately 70 days after Eid Al Fitr, and marks the second day of Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). This year, Arafat Day is expected to fall on Friday July 8; then the following day marks the start of Eid Al Adha.

The Hijri calendar dates for this holiday are 10 to 12 Dhu Al Hijjah 1443, which is likely to fall on Saturday July 9 to Monday July 11, 2022. So, we can expect a three day weekend very soon.

After this the next UAE public holiday will be Commemoration Day (previously known as Martyrs’ Day), which is marked annually on December 1, which is a Thursday. Immediately after this, the UAE celebrates National Day which falls on December 2 and 3, which is a Friday and Saturday. This means those with Saturdays and Sundays off will enjoy a four-day weekend.

However, these dates are not confirmed and we will only know for sure when the announcement is released by officials.

What is Eid Al Adha?

According to tradition, Eid Al Adha is held to honour Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son, after being instructed to do so by God. Prophet Ibrahim told his son of the dream, and the son then told his father to follow the order. But God intervened, sending a sheep to take his son’s place.

The occasion of Eid Al Adha is usually marked with a few days off for both the public and private sectors, however, as with any Islamic holidays, decisions are based on the phases of the moon, so we won’t know the exact dates until the moon has been officially sited.

Image: Getty