Eid al-Adha in Dubai will be a time for Muslims to gather with family and friends, share meals and give to charity. It is also a time to remember the importance of obedience to God and generosity towards others.
Dates for Aid El Adha 2023 in Dubai
Eid El-Adha is celebrated every year on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar. However, as the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, the date of Eid al-Adha varies from year to year in the Gregorian calendar, which is a solar calendar.
The planned date for Arafat Day is 27 June, which could result in a six-day holiday for UAE residents if combined with the planned Eid and weekend holidays. However, the final decision on the holiday period has yet to be announced and is dependent on moon sightings. By strategically requesting just one day of annual leave during Eid El Adha 2023, residents can potentially enjoy nine days of holiday.
What is this religious festival?
Eid El-Adha, also known as the Feast of Sacrifice, is one of the two major Islamic festivals, the other being Eid El-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. Eid El-Adha takes place on the 10th day of the last month of the Islamic calendar, Dhul-Hijjah, and lasts four days. It coincides with the end of the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, which is one of the five pillars of Islam.
Eid al-Adha commemorates Abraham’s (Ibrahim in Arabic) willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael in obedience to God. According to tradition, just as Abraham was about to perform the sacrifice, God replaced Ishmael with a sheep. To commemorate this event, Muslims sacrifice an animal (usually a sheep, goat, cow or camel) during Eid al-Adha. This sharing of sacrificial meat symbolises community, charity and equality.
In addition to the sacrifice, Eid al-Adha is marked by a special prayer that takes place after sunrise, but before the zenith. Muslims usually gather in large numbers for this prayer, often in mosques or in open spaces called musalla.
