Book your tickets for the long weekend ahead.
UAE residents, pack your bags, as Eid Al Adha holidays are more than likely to fall on a five-day weekend.

According to Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Deputy Director of the Sharjah Centre for Space and Astronomy, as per astronomical calculations, Eid Al Adha is most likely to fall on Wednesday, August 22.

He added in a statement to the media channel 24 that Zhil Hijjah's crescent will most likely be born on August 11, at 1:58pm in UAE local time.

"The moon will be one degree from the sun at its sunset. It will set 10 minutes after the sun. The moon, therefore, cannot be seen as per astronomical standards. Thus Sunday will be the 30th of Zhil Qi'da and Monday the first day of Zhil Hijjah.

"Thus, the first day of Eid al Adha will be on the following Wednesday." 

As seen in the past, the UAE starts its Eid al Fitr holiday on the 9th of Zhil Hijjah, also known as Arafat Day. Thus a 5-day weekend would commence if the 9th day of Zhil Hijjah falls on Tuesday, August 21.          

The crescent moon of Zhil Qi'da was born on Friday, July 13, and the first day of the month was observed on July 14.

The official calendar dates given by the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department of the Government of Dubai (IACAD) would most likely be confirmed for the upcoming holidays. 

With Zhil Qi'da being 30 days, Eid Al Adha holidays will most likely begin on Tuesday, August 21, for public and private sectors alike.

The Abu Dhabi government had announced the list of public holidays for 2018.  

"The following list shows the public holidays in the UAE for the year 2018. The official reference to determine Islamic occasions, such as the beginning of Ramadan or Haj, is the Hijri Calendar. It is based on the phases of the moon. Hence, the exact dates of Islamic events vary from one Gregorian year to another as they depend on the local sightings of the moon.

President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has given orders that the November 30 every year will be observed as 'Martyr's Day' and a public holiday in memory of and in tribute to the sacrifices offered by the nation's martyrs and its loyal people.

On December 2, the UAE National Day is accompanied by a series of events and programmes lasting several days." 

"The below dates are tentative dates* only - subject to moon sighting - and should not be considered as an official announcement; public holidays are announced, by official authorities, once confirmed," the statement added:

Earlier this year, a list of holidays was also issued by Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department of the Government of Dubai - which also included all religious holidays for the new year.

SOURCE : KHALEEJTIMES