We’re getting the Thursday and Friday off, but could there be more..?

We’ll have to hang on a little while longer before we know exactly which days of the Gregorian Calendar week we’ll all have off but the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources — has confirmed the Islamic Calendar (Hijri) dates for the Eid Al Fitr holiday period.

Those dates are from Ramadan 29 until the Shawwal 3. And it has now been confirmed that this will apply to both public and private sectors.

And it does at least give us a strong indication of what the long weekend might look like (as we know it will start on Thursday).

Public sector dates announced first by the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources

Followed by private sector dates the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE).

What does this mean for likely Eid holidays?

Because the Islamic Calendar is based on lunar months — it means that for these dates to be confirmed in the Gregorian calendar (the traditional January to December version), there has to be a sighting of the moon in a very specific phase.

Ramadan 29 is next Thursday, April 20 – and Shawwal 3 will be either Sunday April 23 if Ramadan lasts for 29 (Gregorian Calendar) days or Monday if it’s a 30-day Ramadan.

This means that paid Eid holidays will result in a long weekend from Thursday to Sunday, but potentially Thursday to Monday.

Our guess would be a Thursday April 20 to Sunday April 23, 2023 but the exact dates will only be confirmed by the appropriate moon sighting, announced by the UAE Moon Sighting Committee.

Images: Getty