ABU DHABI // Depending on when Eid Al Adha falls, the day before will be a paid holiday for the private and public sector, the Ministry of Labour has said.
A ministry spokesman said if Eid Al Adha falls on Friday, October 26, as many religious scholars believe, it will mean the day before will be a holiday. How long the holiday will be is still unknown.
“The day of waqfa is always a holiday,” he said. Waqfa, also known as waqfat Arafat, is the same day Hajj pilgrims go to stand on the mountain of Arafat - the most important part of the Hajj. Many Muslims not on the Hajj fast on the day as part of Sunnah.
He said the ministry would send out an official announcement closer to the date. The chairman of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, Humaid Al Qatami, who is also the Minister of Education, will announce on the same day what the holidays will be for public-sector workers.
* This article has been corrected since it was published. A previous version of this article stated the amount of time off, which is yet to be confirmed.
