Saudi’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz issued a directive to extend this year’s Eid holiday
7 June 2018
| Last updated on 7 June 2018
As we’ve entered the last 10 days of Ramadan astronomers have started looking to the skies to determine when the month of Shawwal will begin. The exact date of Eid al Fitr is yet to be announced but an astronomer in UAE said that he is 99% sure that the last day of Ramadan will be on June 14th, 2018 with Eid al Fitr starting on June 15th.
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This means that Ramadan will only last 29 days this year. Ramadan – a holy month in the Islamic calendar during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset and spend their time praying and reading the Quran – usually lasts either 29 or 30 days. After Ramadan, on the first day of Shawwal Eid al Fitr is celebrated by all Muslims. Eid al Fitr is literally translated into “festival of breaking the fast.” It is known as the lesser of the two Eids and celebrates the end of the holy month of fasting and reflecting.
Eid al Fitr is usually celebrated over a three day period but Saudi residents can again look forward to an extended holiday this year. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz issued a directive which extended this year’s Eid holiday until June 23rd, 2018 with work resuming again on Sunday, June 24th.
The Eid holiday was extended as the beginning of Eid falls over the weekend and is intended to ensure that the Eid holiday is not shortened. The private sector will celebrate Eid al Fitr from Friday, June 15th till Saturday, June 23rd while the government sector will celebrate Eid al Fitr from June 15th till Sunday, June 24th. Civil and military employees will also receive a week off to celebrate the Eid holidays.
Although the holiday for the private sector was announced to last until June 23rd, their actual days off will depend on their companies policy. They will receive the minimum four days off, as per the Saudi labour law but whether or not you receive the rest of the time off will depend on your company.
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Article 112 in the labour law states that employees are entitled to 4 days fully paid holiday starting from 30th of Ramadan. If you are not permitted to 4 days off as stipulated by the Saudi labour law, then you can report it to the Saudi Labour Office.
