Public sector workers will enjoy a long weekend to mark Eid Al Adha.
The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources said the holiday would run from Friday, July 8 until Monday, July 11.
Work will resume on Tuesday, July 12.
Eid Al Adha, known as the festival of the sacrifice, will begin on Saturday, July 9.
The Dhu Al Hijja crescent moon was sighted on Wednesday evening by Saudi Arabia’s Tumair Observatory, according to the kingdom's Supreme Court.
The sighting of the Moon marks the beginning of the Dhu Al Hijja Islamic month in which the Hajj pilgrimage is performed, followed by Eid Al Adha, which begins on the 10th day of the month.
This year, Eid Al Adha falls shortly after schools finish up for the summer holidays and airlines anticipate hundreds of thousands of people travelling during that period.
The next potential long weekend off for residents will probably be in December, for Commemoration Day and National Day.
Commemoration Day will be on November 30, with UAE National Day celebrated on December 2.
The official days off for these dates are listed as being from Thursday, December 1 until Sunday, December 4.
-
It was a busy day at the Abu Dhabi Livestock Market in the run-up to Eid Al Adha. -
Abu Dhabi Livestock Market a day before Eid Al Adha. -
It was a busy day at Abu Dhabi Livestock Market before Eid Al Adha. -
Workers at Abu Dhabi Livestock Market had a busy time before Eid Al Adha. -
A man loads his SUV with a sheep that he bought during a busy day at the Abu Dhabi Livestock Market. -
It was a busy time for workers at the Abu Dhabi Livestock Market a day before Eid Al Adha. -
Men inspect a goat at Abu Dhabi Livestock Market before Eid Al Adha.
What is Eid Al Adha?
Eid Al Adha is one of the most important festivals in Islam. It means “festival of the sacrifice” and coincides with the Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah, which all Muslims are required to make at least once in their lives if able to do so.
The sacrifice the holiday commemorates is explained in the Quran, which tells how the Prophet Ibrahim was asked by God in a dream to sacrifice his son, Ismail, as a test of his faith.
Ibrahim dismissed the dream at first, but it recurred several nights in a row.
He grappled with the decision but ultimately decided to fulfil God’s command, even though the Devil tried to dissuade him. Ibrahim threw rocks at the Devil in response; pilgrims at Hajj re-enact this by throwing stones at symbolic pillars.
The worshippers pelt three walls in one of a series of rituals that must be performed by those who make the journey.
Just as Ibrahim was about to carry out the command, God replaced his son with a goat and told him to sacrifice the animal instead.
Muslims now celebrate the holiday by eating the meat of a sacrificed animal.
Eid Al Adha 2021 around the world – in pictures
-
Yemenis gather at the historic 12th century citadel of al-Qahira in Yemen's third city of Taez, during the celebrations of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. -
Yemenis gather at the historic 12th century citadel of al-Qahira in Yemen's third city of Taez, during the celebrations of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. -
A Senegalese Muslim from the Layene Brotherhood, a religious sect of Sufi Muslims, waits to attend Eid-al-Adha prayers, as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases spike, in Dakar, Senegal. -
Palestinians enjoy the day on the beach during the Eid Al Adha festival in Tel Aviv, Israel. The major Muslim holiday, at the end of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, is observed around the world by believers and commemorates prophet Abraham's pledge to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. -
Women enjoy themselves as they bathe in the Mediterranean Sea during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, in Tel Aviv, Israel. -
Iraqi children watch a show during the Eid Al Adha holiday in the Old City of Mosul in northern Iraq.. -
A boy walks away from mosque after Eid Al Adha prayers in Dakar, Senegal. -
Bosnian Muslims visit Ravne Bakije cemetery during the second day of Eid Al Adha, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. -
Senegalese Muslims attend Eid Al Adha prayers as Covid-19 cases surge in Dakar, Senegal. -
A Rohingya Muslim refugee and children ride a scooter during Eid Al Adha at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Chennai, India. -
Muslims offer prayers on the morning of Eid Al Adha at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh. -
Iraqis perform Eid Al Adha prayers at the Great Mosque of Kufa, 10km north-east of the city of Najaf. -
A woman takes a selfie with her friends after prayers at the historical Badshahi Mosque during Eid Al Adha in Lahore, Pakistan. -
Muslims offer prayers at Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan, for Eid Al Adha. -
A young Muslim devotee offers prayers during the Eid al-Adha or the 'Festival of Sacrifice, in Ajmer. -
Mosque workers sweep out rain water before others arrive to offer morning prayers for Eid Al Adha at Jama Masjid Khairuddin in Amritsar, India. -
A Muslim family watches pigeons fly after Eid prayers at a Mosque in Chennai, India. -
Young girls pose for pictures while celebrating Eid Al Adha at Ibafo Mosque in Ogun state, south-west Nigeria. -
Albanian Muslims at Eid prayers in Skenderbeg Square, Tirana. -
A girl celebrates Eid Al Adha in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya. -
Sheep are prepared for slaughter during celebrations of Eid Al Adha in Kazan, Russia. -
Balloon sellers wait for customers in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir. -
A child arrives with his family to mark Eid Al Adha at the Blue Mosque in Taguig city, south of Manila, in the Philippines. -
Children celebrate Eid Al Adha at an amusement park in Damascus, Syria. -
Sultan Qaboos Street in the Omani capital Muscat amid a Covid-19 lockdown during Eid Al Adha. -
Muslims gather at the Huntington Bank Stadium during Eid Al Adha prayers and festivities in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the US. -
A blacksmith sharpens a knife at his shop in Karachi, Pakistan, before Eid Al Adha. -
Muslims pray during Eid Al Adha in the street in front of the mosque in Adjame, a popular neighbourhood of Abidjan, in the Ivory Coast. -
Palestinians celebrate Eid Al Adha at Al Aqsa compound in Jerusalem's Old City. -
Shoppers at Meena Bazaar, Bur Dubai. -
Afghans arrive at a mosque to offer Eid Al Adha prayers in Herat, Afghanistan -
Eid Al Adha morning prayers at Sheikh Hazza bin Sultan Mosque on Electra Street in Abu Dhabi. -
Palestinians celebrate Eid Al Adha at Al Aqsa. -
Iraqi Muslims offer Eid Al Adha prayers on the street outside Abu Hanifa Mosque in Baghdad's Adhamiya district. -
Muslims gather to pray at the Islamic Centre Mosque to mark Eid Al Adha in Lhokseumawe, in Aceh, Indonesia. -
Indonesian Muslims offer Eid Al Adha prayers on the street amid a surge of Covid-19 cases in Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia. -
Muslims offer prayers during the first day of Eid Al Adha, outside the Hagia Sophia in the historic Sultan Ahmed district of Istanbul, Turkey. -
Malaysian Muslims prepare a cow for slaughter as a sacrifice during Eid Al Adha celebrations in Kuala Lumpur. -
Indonesians arrange pieces of meat before distribution during Eid Al Adha celebrations in Depok, West Java, Indonesia. -
A Palestinian woman prepares sweets for Eid Al Adha in the West Bank city of Nablus. -
A seller arranges oriental sweets at his shop at Al Midan market in Damascus, Syria. -
A Palestinian carries his child before the Eid Al Adha holiday, near the rubble of Al Shurouq tower in Gaza City's Al Rimal neighbourhood, which was hit by Israeli air strikes in May fighting. -
Eid Al Adha shoppers at Al Wahda Mall in Abu Dhabi.
