UAE: How to turn your Eid Al Adha public holiday into mini vacation

Less than a week ago, residents wrapped up the Eid Al Fitr holidays with celebrations, feasts, reunions, and quick getaways. Now that everyone is back at work, you can guess what the trending topic is: When is the next public holiday in the UAE?

UAE residents will not need to wait too long to get their long weekend, thanks to the Eid Al Adha break in June. Even better, many are already charting out how to make the most of the upcoming downtime.

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Here's how you can get more out of your June public holidays just like these UAE residents.

"I had planned to travel to a country in June that's a 14-hour flight from the UAE. Given the long journey, a short break wouldn’t be practical," said Hind Hassan, 22. "Since Eid Al Adha falls in June, I thought it would be a good opportunity to combine the Eid holidays with my annual leave to extend my time off for the trip and get more out of it."

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With some smart planning, Safoora Jalali is also extending her Eid holidays by combining them with her annual leave. The Abu Dhabi resident said, “We celebrated Eid Al Fitr here in the UAE, but we plan to travel to Kashmir for the next Eid. We will fly out on June 4, celebrate Eid, and then stay on for my sister’s wedding. Although my son will miss a couple of school days, it won’t be too disruptive due to the public holidays in between.”

The 36-year-old expat said that she would take an additional five days of leave and return to the the UAE on June 15.

Haya Bassam is travelling to Saudi Arabia with her husband for Haj. The 43-year-old will fly to Jordan on May 24, then head to Saudi Arabia for Haj on May 29. She plans to return to Jordan on June 13 and return to the UAE on June 17. "Our two children will stay in the UAE, as we don’t want them to miss school — although there will be an Eid break in between,” Haya said. “We are extending the break by combining it with some annual leave."

Plan out your dates

Considered the holiest day in Islam, Arafah Day — which falls on Dhul Hijjah 9 — will be a holiday in UAE. This will be followed by a three-day break for the Islamic festival Eid Al Adha (Dhul Hijjah 10-12). The two holidays combined will translate into a 4-day break.

The Islamic calendar follows the lunar cycle. According to astronomical calculations, Arafah Day is expected to fall on Thursday, June 5. The Eid Al Adha break will then run from Friday, June 6, to Sunday, June 8. However, official dates are subject to sighting of the Moon.

If you are feeling adventurous and can take an additional 3 days off, apply for annual leave from Monday, June 2 to Wednesday, June 4 — and you can enjoy a 9-day break before returning to work on Monday, June 9.

If a 9-day break isn't enough, you can turn it into a 16-day mini vacation by taking additional leave from June 2 to 4 and June 9 to 13. When combined with weekends and festive holidays, it adds up to a 16-day getaway.

Ajanta Paul

Staff Writer

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ajanta@khaleejtimes.com

Ajanta Paul is a Senior Editor on the Digital team. A natural leader and newshound, she thrives in breaking news and high-pressure situations — and enjoys reporting on community issues that matter to UAE residents.