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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is an Islamic state. The official religion of the country is Islam and it follows the Islamic calendar. Since UAE boasts of vast expatriate population, it celebrates all the festival besides Islamic ones. However, the official/public holidays are granted only for Islamic festivals during which all the government offices and banks remain closed. Here is the list of holidays that will help you plan for your vacations accordingly.
2008-09
|
Festival |
Date |
Day |
|
New Year's Day |
January 01 |
Thursday |
|
Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet) |
March 9 |
Monday |
|
Leilat al-Meiraj (Ascension of the Prophet) |
July 20 |
Monday |
|
Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan) |
October 2 |
Thursday |
| National Day | December 02 | Tuesday |
| Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) | December 09 | Monday |
| Al-Hijra (Islamic New Year) | December 29 | Monday |
Ramadan
Ramadan is considered the holiest of all the months in the Islamic calendar. It is the time when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and spend most of their time in prayers. All the offices in the UAE reduce their working hours by two hours for the entire month of Ramadan. During this month, all the eating joints, restaurants and cafes are closed during the daytime. There may be restrictions on smoking and drinking. During the month of Ramadan, it is considered disrespectful to eat or drink in open during the daytime Ramadan is expected to begin from September 02, 2008.
Note: Islamic festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximations.
By: Shuchita Bist
GOWEALTHY.COM © 2008
For comments: editor@gowealthy.com
