Eid holiday dates announced for public-sector workers

Public-sector employees are set for a long weekend break from work after Eid Al Fitr holiday dates were announced.

The Eid holiday will commence on Friday, May 22 – Ramadan 29 – and will continue until Shawwal 3 in line with the Islamic calendar.

Shawwal 3 will fall on Tuesday, May 26 or Wednesday, May 27, depending on whether Ramadan is made up of 29 or 30 days this year.

The dates were announced by the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources on Monday.

The authority is still to announce holiday timings for private sector staff in the country.

The exact dates will be confirmed nearer to the time by the moon-sighting committee.

Eid Al Fitr is a key date in the Islamic calendar as it marks the end of Ramadan, a month of fasting.

On the eve of the 30th day of Ramadan, the moon-sighting committee, which was responsible for sighting the crescent moon to indicate the start of the holy month, reconvenes to look for the new crescent moon that signals the beginning of a new month.

If they spot the new moon, the following morning will be announced as the first day of Shawwal — Eid Al Fitr.

As with the holy month currently being observed in the Emirates, time-honoured Eid traditions are likely to be impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.

Although restrictions on travel and trade have been eased, festivities are set to be more restrained.

On the first day of Eid, Muslims would typically Muslims wake up just before dawn to perform Eid prayers at mosques.

During Eid, Muslims tend to wear new clothes and visit family and friends.

This year's celebrations are expected to be muted, with mosques still closed and gatherings remaining limited to groups of no more than five.

In recent years, it became common practice to travel during Eid but, this year, no one will be able to travel because flights have been grounded.