TFT readers, brace yourself for another long holiday!
The Islamic festival Eid Al Adha 2024 is just around the corner. This holiday is accompanied by Arafat Day, another holiday that making the weekends longer.
So, how do we know when the holidays start? It all boils down to when the Crescent Moon would appear. The moon-sighting process begins on June 6.
If the Crescent Moon is spotted on June 6 (Thu), Arafat Day will be on June 15 (Sat) and Eid Al Adha will be on June 16 (Sun). Take note that the Eid Al Adha is a three-day holiday. Therefore, the break will be from June 15 (Sat) to June 18 (Tue), which is four days off including the Saturday-Sunday weekend.
However, if the Crescent Moon is not spotted on June 6, Arafat Day is on June 16 (Sun) and Eid Al Adha will be on June 17 (Mon). Therefore, the break will be from June 16 (Sun) to June 19 (Wed). Include the Saturday before Arafat Day and that will give you five days off.
What is Eid Al Adha?
Eid Al Adha is the second and the largest of the two holidays celebrated in Islam. It falls on Dhul Hijjah 10 to 12 in the lunar Islamic calendar called Hijri.
In Islam, God instructed Ibrahim to sacrifice his son. Ibrahim told his son of the dream, and his son in turn told his father to follow the order. Before Ibrahim could do so, God intervened and sent him a sheep to kill instead of his son.
Therefore, Eid Al Adha is held annually to honor Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son and fully obey God instructions.
During Eid Al Adha, employees usually take the days off, but it depends on the nature of the job and the decisions made of both public and private sectors.
