Official holidays in UAE

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.

Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximations. During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Eid al-Fitr, Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted. Many restaurants are closed during the day and there may be restrictions on smoking and drinking. Some disruption may continue into Eid al-Fitr itself. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha may last anything from two to 10 days, depending on the region.

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2010-December 2011 period:

2010

1 Jan New Year's Day.

26 Feb Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet).

9 Jul Leilat al-Meiraj (Ascension of the Prophet).

11 Sep Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan).

7 Nov Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice).

2 Dec National Day.

7 Dec Al-Hijra (Islamic New Year).

16 Dec Ashoura.

2011

1 Jan New Year's Day.

5 Dec Ashoura.

26 Feb Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet).

28 Jun Leilat al-Meiraj (Ascension of the Prophet).

30 Aug

31 Aug Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan).

6 Nov

7 Nov Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice).

2 Dec National Day.

26 Nov Al-Hijra (Islamic New Year).

Source: www.ameinfo.com

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