MoHRE confirmed the holiday on its Twitter…

The end of the year is drawing to a rapid close, and with New Year’s Eve around the corner, UAE residents are awaiting confirmation of the public holiday. Now, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has announced that Sunday January 1, 2023, will be an official paid holiday in the UAE for all private sector employees.

Of course, those of us who moved to a typically western work week (Monday to Friday) will already have the Sunday off. But for those still working Sunday to Thursday, or those who usually work weekends, the news will be welcome.

When is the next UAE public holiday?

The next official holiday of 2023 will be after the Holy Month of Ramadan, when we celebrate Eid al Fitr from Ramadan 29 to Shawwal 3. On the Gregorian calendar, these dates correspond to Thursday April 20 to Sunday April 23.

The next holiday after that will be Arafat Day, which falls on Dhul Hijjah 9. This is expected to be on Tuesday June 27, depending on the lunar calendar.

The following day marks the start of Eid al Adha. It is the second and the larger of the two holidays celebrated in Islam. It falls on Dhul Hijjah 10 to 12, which corresponds to Wednesday June 28 to Friday June 30. Paired with Arafat Day, we are likely to have a long five-day weekend (for those of us who usually have a two day weekend).

Hijri New Year marks the beginning of a new lunar Hijri year. In 2023, it falls on Friday July 21. It is also known as Islamic New Year.

For the full list of public holidays, check out our guide here.

Image: Getty