Dubai: On Friday, April 1, 2022, the UAE's moon-sighting committee announced that Saturday, April 2, will be the first day of Ramadan.
Here is a roundup of all you need to know about how long the fasts will be for, by how many hours office timings will be reduced and when Eid will be marked.
How long will the fasts be for?
According to Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Astronomy Society, the duration of fasting will be around 13 hours 46 minutes at the start of Ramadan. By the end of Ramadan, with the days getting longer, the fasting hours are going to be 14 hours and 28 minutes.
What will the work timings be during Ramadan?
On March 15, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) announced that work hours would be reduced by two hours every day during Ramadan for the private sector.
Earlier, the UAE government had announced the Ramadan working times for public sector employees, too. As per the announcement, the official working hours for federal government employees during Ramadan will be from 9am to 2.30pm, from Monday to Thursday, and from 9am to 12pm, on Fridays.
When is Eid Al Fitr?
Eid Al Fitr is celebrated by Muslims across the world at the end of the month of Ramadan. While the actual date of the start and end of Ramadan are announced only after the UAE’s moon-sighting committee makes an official announcement once the crescent moon is sighted, according to Ibrahim Al Jarwan, as per astronomical calculations, Ramadan is expected to be for 30 days this year. So, Eid Al Fitr and the first day of Shawwal (the month that follows Ramadan in the Hijri calendar) is expected to be on Thursday, May 2, 2022.
As per the official list of UAE holidays on the UAE government website – u.ae – the holidays for Eid Al Fitr start from the Ramadan 29 to Shawwal 3.
