The holy month of Ramadan has already concluded; however, there is yet another upcoming important holiday in the Islamic calendar – the Eid Al-Adha, which will be held this August. But according to sources, the exact number of days as to how long the holiday will be observed has yet been decided. This will all depend on the date when the Dhu AlHijjah (the 12th and final month in the Islamic calendar) will start and the Cabinet’s decision regarding the matter.
Once everything has been taken into consideration, the holiday celebrations could be observed either for 5 or 9 days. The Eid Al-Adha commemorates the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to follow Allah’s (God’s) command to give up his son’s life (Jacob) as a form of sacrifice. This holiday is widely observed by Muslims from all corners of the globe.
Eid Al-Adha Holidays May Last 5 or 9 Days this August
The sources explained that, if the the Dhu Al-Hijjah month begins on
, the holidays will be observed for five days. The events will proceed as follows:
- August 21 (Tuesday): Arafat Waqfa (Standing on Mount Arafat)
- August 22 (Wednesday): First day of Eid
- August 23-25: Eid holidays
- August 26 (Sunday): Work resumes
The five-day holidays will include the four days of Eid (Wednesday to Saturday), as well as the Arafat Waqfa day. This would be the first case if the Dhu Al-Hijjah month begins on the 13th of August.
However, if the Dhu Al-Hijjah starts a day earlier (Aug. 12), then this is how the holidays would be observed:
- August 20 (Monday): Arafat Waqfa (Standing on Mount Arafat)
- August 21 (Tuesday): First day of Eid
- August 22-25 (Wednesday to Saturday): Eid holidays
- August 26 (Sunday): Work resumes
In the second scenario the holidays will be observed for 9 days, from August 17 (Friday) up until August 25 (Saturday). Work resumes on Aug 26 (Sunday).
As of this time, the decision whether to mark Aug. 19 (Sunday) as a holiday, since it falls between Saturday and the Arafat Waqfa (Monday) has yet been made by the Cabinet.