The United Arab Emirates Government has announced that the public and private sectors will have the same number of holidays. However, besides your annual mandatory leaves, the UAE cabinet will grant public holidays for its residents as well. Consequently, it is always healthy to take breaks from your job to keep a work-life balance.
It is totally fine if you are counting the days until your next holiday, you are not the only one. So, if you work in the public or private sectors and you are planning to take a break by exploring the local sights of the UAE, or you just want to travel to an exotic location abroad, you can go ahead and plan your vacations in advance.
In this article, you will learn about the Unified Public and Private sector holidays in the UAE for 2021. Therefore, here you will find relevant information about its history in the UAE. Let’s observe:
- List of holidays
- Important holidays of the UAE
- Spirit of the Union
- Day of Arafah
- Commemoration Day
- Hijri New Year
- United Arab Emirates National day
- How can ConnectHR boost your company’s growth in the UAE?
1. List of holidays
The UAE media stated via Twitter: “the cabinet, headed by his highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, adopts the official holiday for both public and private sector workers for the years 2021 and 2022”.
The UAE government aims to achieve equality between the public and the private sector with this decision, in the number of official holidays they are entitled to. Below are the lists of public holidays for the years 2021 and 202 applicable to both private and public sectors:
Holidays for 2021:
- Eid Al Fitr: from May 11th to May 15th:
- Day of Arafah: July 19th.
- Eid Al Adha: July 20th, 21st and 22
- Hijri New Year (Islamic New Year): August 12th.
- Prophet Mohammed’s birthday: October 21st.
- Commemoration Day: December 1st (before it was known as Commemoration Day it was Martyr’s Day and was observed on November 30th).
- UAE National Day: December 2nd and 3rd.
- Gregorian New Year: January 1st.
Holidays for 2022:
- Eid Al Fitr: from the last day of the month of Ramadan to the 3rd of Shawwal (4 days in total).
- Day of Arafah and Eid Al Adha (Feast of Sacrifice): from August 8th to 11th Dhu al Hijjah (4 days)
- Hijri New Year (Islamic New Year): July 30th.
- Birthday of Prophet Mohammed: October 8th.
- Commemoration Day: December 1st.
- National Day: December 2nd and 3rd (2 days in total).
- Gregorian New Year: January 1st.
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2. Important holidays of the UAE
Eid al-Fitr sets the end of Ramadan. It starts the day after the first sighting of the crescent moon; therefore, the dates may vary by a day or two. There are 14 main public holidays in the United Arab Emirates.
While you learn about the holidays in the UAE, you may want to learn about the best payroll software in the market
During Eid al-Fitr employees are entitled to leave their jobs during Eid al-Fitr, all types of transport services and shopping malls work extended hours. Likewise, there are always firework displays that set the celebration, there are meetings between families and friends and they exchange gifts.
Important dates in the UAE during 2022:
- Mother’s Day: March 21st (Monday).
- Start of Ramadan: April 1st (Friday).
- Father’s Day: June 21st (Tuesday).
- Hajj season starts July 8th (Friday).
3. Spirit of the Union
The formal nationalization and the start of what today is the United Arab Emirates was the December 2nd of 1971 and derives from the vision of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan: one of the founders of the UAE.
Certainly, the official theme of the UAE’s National Day celebrations is the ‘Spirit of the Union’. In addition, the iconic image of the first national congregation of the Founding Fathers of the UAE is its logo and is a complement of the official theme.
4. Day of Arafah
To Muslims this is the best day of the year, is the 9th day of the Islamic Lunar Month. It is also the 12th month of the Islamic calendar, Dhul-Hijjah is the 2nd day of Hajj well. The day of Arafah sets the culmination for Muslims on pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Therefore, they gather at the mountain plain of Arafah to pray and ask for forgiveness.
In addition, pilgrimage is a great pillar of Islam (the fifth) so the Day of Arafah is very important for Muslims. On this day is millions of Muslims’ sins are forgiven by Allah. Arafah is also known as the day Allah perfected the religion of Islam. Above all, in the UAE, this day is celebrated as a public holiday.
Likewise, the Day of Arafah is a sacred day for all Muslims around the globe. On this day Prophet Muhammad gave his sermon upon Mount Arafah to approximately 100,000 Muslims with whom he completed Hajj. Verse 5:3 of the Qur’an revealed to him while he stood on the plain of Mount Arafah.
5. Commemoration Day
Also known as Martyr’s Day is part of the public and private sector holidays. Therefore, the UAE honors the brave citizens who sacrificed their lives to preserve the country’s sovereignty. Many national events relating to ‘Commemoration Day‘ for 2021 will take place in the country.
6. Hijri New Year
The Islamic New Year began on August 10 and its name was Hijri 1443. Therefore, this marks the migration of Prophet Mohammad and his followers from Makkah to Madinah, this city is in Saudi Arabia and is the holiest city in Islam.
7. United Arab Emirates National day
Is all about the Spirit of the Union, the day marks the unification of the seven Emirates into one country. Every year on December 2nd, Emiratis (locals and expatriates) gather together to celebrate this important day.
8. How can ConnectHR boost your company’s growth in the UAE?
UAE’s holidays are unique days full of festivity that bring joy to all the country, this beautiful country. Connect HR wishes you happy holidays!
We specialize in bringing your company the best professional services, these services will take your company’s to a next level of:
- Productivity
- Automation
- Time Management
- Reduction of errors
Therefore, in case you want to improve your HR department, you can request HR consultancy, insurance, or attendance. In addition, we also have services including HR management systems, automated payroll systems and WPS.
If you decide to use any of our services, we will work with you side by side to ensure your organization’s growth. Likewise, you can easily obtain any of our services for yourself or your company.
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