Residents likely to enjoy 4 long weekends this year

After the winter travel holidays, Christmas and New Year festivities, UAE residents are back to the daily grind. Schools across the country have opened, welcoming students back after a three-week break.

If the holiday hangover has hit you hard and you are already thinking about your next long break, you are not alone. Incidentally, the UAE government has already announced the official list of holidays for 2023 for the public and private sectors, and this is expected to give people ample time to plan and make bookings for their next break.

Residents are in for multiple long breaks this year, including one that may last for six days. Residents will enjoy long breaks on Eid Al Fitr, Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha as well as Hijri New Year and the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) birthday.

Some of the holidays mentioned on the list are based on the Hijri Islamic calendar, and their corresponding Gregorian dates will depend on the sighting of the moon on the approprate days of the year.

Four long weekends in 2023

According to the official list, UAE residents are in for four long weekends this year.

> Eid Al Fitr: As per the Hijri calendar, the dates are from Ramadan 29 to Shawwal 3. According to astronomical calculations, this would be from

Thursday, April 20, till Sunday, April 23. Actual dates are subject to moon-sighting.

> Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha: This will most likely offer a sixday break — the longest next year. The holidays are likely to be from Tuesday, June 27, to Friday, June 30. If this is indeed the case, then those with Saturdaysunday weekends will get a continuous six-day break.

> Hijri New Year: July 21 is a Friday. This translates into a three-day weekend for those with Saturday-sunday off.

> Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday: September 29 is a Friday, too. That would be another three-day weekend for residents.