Eid ul Fitr 2024: 9-day holiday expected in UAE this year

By
Web Desk

March 18, 2024

This undated image shows a man gazing at the moons crescent through a telescope. — Arabian Business
This undated image shows a man gazing at the moon's crescent through a telescope. — Arabian Business

It's only been a week since the United Arab Emirates (UAE) rang in the holy month of Ramadan but people are already curious of when they will celebrate Eid ul Fitr.

Well, no need to stay curious anymore because Ibrahim Al Jarwan, chairman of the Emirates Astronomical Association, has officially predicted when the first day of Eid ul Fitr will be celebrated in the UAE, according to Time Out Dubai.

According to Al Jarwan, the first day of Eid or the month of Shawwal, will most likely fall on April 10 this year, a day later than astronomers previously expected.

This is because of the difficulty to sight the crescent moon of Shawwal which will also mark the end of Ramadan, that began on March 11 in the UAE.

Al Jarwan explained: "Islamic consensus is expected on the first day of the month of Shawwal and Eid ul Fitr shall be on Wednesday, April 10, 2024."

He added: "The birth of the Shawwal crescent will coincide with the occurrence of a total solar eclipse on Monday April 8, 2024, its birth before midnight will mean that it can be seen after the sunset the next day in most parts of the Islamic world."

So from when can people in the UAE expect their Eid break to begin and for how long will it last?

In the UAE, Eid break officially kicks off on the 29th day of Ramadan.

Based on Al Jarwan's prediction, the Eid break will officially begin from April 8, which is the 29th day of Ramadan and will end on April 12, the third day of Shawwal.

Although it seems that the Eid holiday will only last for five days, people will originally enjoy a nine-day break because of two weekends before and after the official Eid break.

Here's the breakdown:

  • April 6 – weekend
  • April 7 – weekend
  • April 8 – Ramadan 29, Eid holiday starts
  • April 9 – Ramadan 30, Eid holiday continues
  • April 10 – Shawwal 1, first day of Eid al Fitr
  • April 11 – Shawwal 2, second day of Eid al Fitr
  • April 12 - Shawwal 3, third day of Eid al Fitr, end of Eid holidays.
  • April 13 – weekend
  • April 14 – weekend