Holidays in UAE

Many Festivals and Holidays in UAE are based on the sighting of the moon rather than having fixed dates in the Hijra Calendar.

This means that many holidays are confirmed as late as 24 hours before.

The Hijra year (the Islamic year consisting of 354 or 355 days divided into 12 lunar months) started in 622AD when Prophet Muhammed migrated (hijra) from Mecca to AL Madinah.

For the Public Holidays UAE for 2011, click here.

For a listing of the Public Holiday dates for 2012, click here.

Holidays Dates 2013

1 Jan 2013	International New Year (1 day)
24 Jan 2013	Prophet Mohammed’s Birthday* (1 day)
6 Jun 2013	Israa & Miaraj Night* (1 day)
9 Jul 2013	Ramadan expected to begin* (29/30 days)
9 Aug 2013	Eid Al Fitr * (3 days)
14 Oct 2013	Arafat (Haj) Day* (1 day)
15 Oct 2013	Eid Al Adha* (3 days)
5 Nov 2013	Hijra New Year's Day* (1 day)
2 Dec 2013	UAE National Day (2 days)

*date based on the siting of the moon.

For a listing of 2014 Public Holidays UAE, click here.

For a listing of the 2015 Public Holidays, click here.

Muslim Calendar Festivals and Events

Eid Al Fitr – the breaking of the fast marking the end of Ramadan
Arafat - the second day of the Hajj pilgrimage and the day before Eid al Adha. Named after the geographical area Arafa where the Prophet gave his Farewell Sermon.
Eid Al Adha – the sacrifice which marks the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca
Mawlid Al Nabee – holiday celebrating the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday
Lailat Al Mi’raj – the prophets ascension into heaven
Ashura - commemorates the death in battle of the Prophet’s grandson, Imam Husain