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Private sector workers will receive Thursday 13th September off to mark Al Hijri
5 September 2018
| Last updated on 14 November 2018
It has been announced that employees working in the private sector in the UAE will receive a holiday on Thursday 13th September to celebrate the Hijri New Year.
The official date of the Islamic New Year is still dependent on the moon sighting, but it is believed to fall on Tuesday 11th September, although this will be a working day.
Instead, both private and public sector workers will receive a day off next Thursday –which means we’ll get a long weekend.
SEE ALSO: Islamic New Year: A Complete Guide to Al Hijri in Dubai
On Monday it was announced that the UAE public sector will also have Thursday 13th September off to mark the Al Hijri occasion.
Hotels and bars in Dubai and across the UAE will not be able to serve alcohol for 24 hours, although the dry night is still to be announced.
What is Hijri New Year?
The Islamic New Year, which is officially known as Al Hijri, marks the beginning of a new Islamic calendar year.
The Hijri New Year in 2018 marks the 1,440 years since the migration of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions from Mecca to Madinah, Islam’s holiest cities in Saudi Arabia.
Islamic New Year will be observed on the first day of Muharram, which is the first month in the lunar Islamic calendar and considered the holiest month after Ramadan.
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