Private-sector workers in the UAE will enjoy a long weekend in celebration of Eid Al Adha next week.
Employees will be granted leave from Thursday to Sunday, June 5 to 8, with work resuming on Monday, June 9.
The public holiday, announced by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, corresponds with the break given to public sector employees.
Public and private sector staff in the Emirates are typically allocated the same number of public holidays each year.
The UAE on Tuesday confirmed that Eid Al Adha would begin on Friday, June 6, after the crescent moon heralding the start of a new Islamic month was observed.
What is Eid Al Adha?
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The Eid Al Adha morning prayer around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, at the start of the holiday marking the end of the Hajj pilgrimage. AFP -
A shepherd with a flock of a sheep in Iraq's southern city of Basra on the eve of Eid Al Adha. AFP -
Worshippers at Baitul Makmur Grand Mosque, during Eid Al Adha celebrations in Meulaboh, West Aceh, Indonesia. Reuters -
Devotees greet each other after offering Eid Al Adha prayers in Kolkata, north-east India. AFP -
Palestinians attend Eid Al Adha prayers in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. EPA -
Worshippers pray at Eid Al Adha celebrations in Naples, southern Italy. EPA -
Women enter the hall of a mosque for a mass prayer, during Eid Al Adha celebrations in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur. Reuters -
A sacrificial bull is loaded on to a trailer during Eid Al Adha celebrations in Istanbul. EPA -
Security personnel frisk devotees entering Jami mosque in Herat, western Afghanistan, to offer Eid Al Adha prayers. AFP -
A Kashmiri girl has her hands decorated with henna ahead of Eid Al Adha, in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir region. EPA -
Worshippers attend prayers on Eid Al Adha at the Sir Ali Muslim Club Ground cricket ground, in Kenya's capital Nairobi. Reuters -
A Muslim worshipper in the Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, during the first day of Eid Al Adha in Istanbul. AP -
Balloons are released during an Eid Al Adha service at Al Sayeda Zainab Mosque in Cairo. EPA -
Baghdad residents take a ride at an amusement park at sunset, as they celebrate Eid Al Adha in Iraq's capital. Reuters -
Eid Al Adha prayers at the Jama Masjid, in India's capital New Delhi. AP -
Eid Al Adha prayers, held on the athletics track of the Dinamo Stadium, in Romania's capital Bucharest. AP -
Eid Al Adha prayers at Moskovsky Prospekt during celebrations in St Petersburg. AP
Eid Al Adha – which means “festival of the sacrifice” – is the latter of the two Eid holidays celebrated across the Arab world, coming after Eid Al Fitr.
Eid Al Adha commemorates how the Prophet Ibrahim was asked by God in a dream to sacrifice his son, Ismail, as a test of his faith.
As with other religious holidays in the Emirates, it is a time for friends and family to gather, often over meals, and reflect on their lives and faith.
It is customary for families who have the means to slaughter a goat or sheep and share the meat with relatives and the less privileged.
