02-04-2025
UAE: How some residents turned 4-day Eid Al Fitr break into a 16-day holiday
With the Eid Al Fitr break coinciding with school vacations this year, some UAE residents have extended their holidays to over two weeks. This alignment of holidays enabled families, particularly those who haven't celebrated Eid in their hometowns for years, to plan longer trips.
For Masiuddin Mohammed, managing director of Superjet Group, this Eid was extra special. 'I haven't celebrated Eid with my family and relatives in India for a few years. Since my children had school vacations and Eid Al Fitr fell within this break, I sent them home early during Ramadan,' said Masiuddin, who hails from Hyderabad.
He joined them on March 28, just two days before the festival. "It was an incredible celebration, being with my family after such a long time. The warmth of meeting everyone, performing Eid prayers together, and enjoying traditional meals made it special. This was the perfect opportunity to reconnect with my roots,' he said.
'Spending Eid back home is an experience like no other. The joy of praying together, sharing festive meals, and being surrounded by loved ones is irreplaceable,' added Masiuddin.
Masiuddin will be returning to the UAE on Thursday (March 3), after spending a week in India. Like him, many other residents took advantage of the long holiday to visit their hometowns.
Planning ahead for an extended celebration
Similarly, Mohammed El Saleh, a manager at Ansar Group, decided to extend his break to spend quality time with family in Alexandria, Egypt. 'I sent my family home early, on March 21, so they could spend Ramadan with our loved ones. When I joined them later, the preparations had already begun,' said El Saleh.
Describing the celebration, El Saleh said, 'We celebrated in a grand manner. Many of my cousins flew in from different parts of the world. Some of them I was meeting for the first time since the pandemic,' he said.
El Saleh, who had taken an early leave on March 27, will be returning to Dubai on April 7.
Combining Eid with local festivals
For some residents, the extended break is not just about Eid but also about celebrating other important regional festivals. Abdul Salam and Vishnu Kumar, both employees at Reliance Aluminium, decided to extend their break to celebrate Vishu, the harvest festival of Kerala, which is on April 14.
"We were casually discussing our travel plans when we realised that Eid and Vishu were close together. Instead of taking separate trips, we decided to combine both celebrations,' said Abdul Salam. 'Since we had already completed a major order at work, our boss was fine with us taking extra days off. We assured him that we would cover any pending work after our return."
The two friends, who belong to the same town in Kerala, are returning to Dubai on April 15 after celebrating both festivals. 'Our children will miss a week's school since classes resume on April 7, but we are confident they will catch up with lessons quickly,' added Abdul Salam.
High demand for flights
With so many residents taking long breaks, air travel demand has surged. The trend of combining Eid with school holidays and regional festivals has led to packed flights and skyrocketing airfares.
'After the pandemic, airfare prices were already high, and most of them did not get chance to celebrate Eid at home because of academic commitments. Many families are traveling for Eid, and in places like Kerala, people are staying back for Vishu as well. Since they are taking extended holidays now, they are likely to skip summer vacations,' said Subair Thekepurathvalappil, senior manager at Wisefox Tourism.
This year many people planned their trips ahead to make the most of their leave. 'With schools closed and employers granting extra days off, many travellers decided to maximise their time back home. We have seen an increase in bookings for extended holidays compared to previous years,' he added.
