It’s just weeks away…

Now that we are used to writing 2025 instead of 2024, it’s time to start planning those vacation dates for the year. Whether you’re doing a staycation or booking flight tickets, the list of UAE public holidays in 2025 will surely help you plan. But before you plan that quick four-hour-only flight trip out of UAE, remember that we also are just weeks away from Ramadan.

According to Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Astronomy Society, ‘The crescent moon of the month of Ramadan 1446 AH will be born on Friday, February 28, 2025.’ This means that, astronomically, Ramadan 2025 in the UAE will likely start on Saturday, March 1, 2025.

We will have to wait for the UAE’s official confirmation closer to the time. The official Moon Sighting Committee usually meets a few days before the date to see if they can spot the moon. We will let you know as soon as we do, so stay tuned.

Unlike the Gregorian calendar, the Islamic calendar is lunar, meaning the corresponding Gregorian dates change yearly. Typically, Ramadan moves forward by roughly 10 days each year. In 2024, the first day of Ramadan was on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.

UAE government announces 2025 public holiday calendar

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is a time when Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking, and smoking between sunrise and sunset. Non-Muslims are also obliged to respect the fasting practices in public, so if you have to leave the house for any reason during the day, please ensure you refrain from any of the above activities.

The Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) during Ramadan. Traditionally, extra tarawih prayers are performed throughout Ramadan and each evening 1/30th of the holy book is recited. 

Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam, which is the foundation of the religion. The pillars are the framework by which Muslims everywhere live, and Ramadan is considered the holiest time in the Islamic calendar. It is a time for prayer, reflection, and religious devotion to cleanse past sins and to focus on Allah through good deeds.

During Ramadan, both the private and the public sectors work reduced hours. We get confirmation on the office timings closer to Ramadan, but your workday is usually reduced by two hours.

Images: Getty Images