Why Oman may get an extra day off for Eid Al Adha this year?
Muslims worldwide are gearing up for the crescent Moon sighting after sunset on Tuesday, with all eyes on celebrating Eid Al Adha and the upcoming holiday.
In Oman, residents were urged by authorities to look out for the crescent and report to field teams in their respective governorates if they spotted it or directly contact moonsighting sub-committees.
Like official sighting committees in other Muslim countries, the Omani committee is set to meet today for the event.
While many Muslims will mostly get a four-day-holiday for Eid, as a result of combining Day of Arafat and the feast's three days, Oman's residents have a chance of getting a longer break.
Why an extra day off?
An Omani royal decree was issued by Sultan Haitham bin Tarik in 2022 to amend public holidays in the Sultanate.
The amendment states that Eid Al Adha holiday in the country will be from Dhul Hijjah 9 to Dul Hijjah 12, resulting in a 4-day-long break in the Sultanate.
However, if the first day of Eid falls on a Friday, it will be compensated. This means that if the upcoming Eid starts on Friday, June 6, residents are entitled to a five-day break.
Although this will never be known for sure until the sighting committee announces the result after sunset, some astronomers predicted that Wednesday, May 28 will mark the beginning of Dhul Hijjah hence Eid will start on Friday, June 6.
The UAE's International Astronomical Centre (IAC) issued a similar prediction on Sunday.
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