If you want to enjoy some days off this year, it’s best to plan early and ensure that your holidays won’t sacrifice much of your leave credits.
According to the official list of public holidays announced by the Abu Dhabi Government on www.abudhabi.ae, UAE residents can look forward to at least three long weekends in 2015. And if they plan right, they can go on vacation for seven full days, with only two, three or four days of leave taken.
The holidays that will be worth penciling in on the calendar this year are:
22 September 2015 (Tuesday), Arafat Day
23 September 2015 (Wednesday), the start of Eid Al Adha, which will last for three days
15 October 2015 (Thursday), Hijri New Year’s Day
2 and 3 December 2015 (Wednesday and Thursday), UAE National Day
If the list is followed, workers can enjoy the longest holiday in September, starting from Arafat Day on 22 September (Tuesday), which will be followed by the three-day Eid Al Adha.
The dates for Arafat Day, Eid Al Adha, Hijri New Year’s Day and other holidays, however, are not fixed as they are “subject to moon sighting”. The list, updated on 30 December 2014, is also for the public sector employees and the exact holiday dates for the private sector may differ.
The public sector has at least 13 holidays this year. The rest of this year’s holidays are:
1 January 2015 (Thursday) – New Year
3 January 2015 (Saturday)- Prophet Mohammed’s Birthday
16 May 2015 (Saturday)- Israa & Miaraj Night
18 June 2015 (Thursday)- First day of Ramadan
17 July 2015 (Friday)- Eid Al Fitr
14 September 2015 (Monday)- Hajj season
The abudhabi.ae website states that the federal ministries, public departments and institutions will be closed during the public holidays.
