25-04-2025
Astronomers share Shawwal end date prediction: What it means for Eid Al Adha
If you're anything like us, then you're already thinking about when the next public holiday in Dubai is.
And astronomers have shared the latest hint indicating how long we could get off for Eid Al Adha.
Eid Al Adha is one of the UAE public holidays that relies on the Islamic Hijri calendar, which is determined by cycles of the moon, unlike the more widely used Gregorian calendar, which is based on the sun.
Months in the Hijri calendar are all either 29 days long or 30 days long. The exact duration of each month isn't known until the 29th day and depends on whether or not the crescent moon can be seen.
As a result of the Hijri calendar, months and occasions shift by around 10 to 12 days every year when compared to the corresponding Gregorian dates.
And that means when any Hijri month draws to a close, we get a clearer indication of when the next public holiday begins.
Astronomers have shared their latest prediction for the final day of Shawwal.
Ibrahim Al-Jarwan, Chairman of the Emirates Astronomy Society, says that Tuesday April 29 will mark the beginning of the month of Dhu Al-Qi'dah.
According to the UAE BARQ, the moon will have already set below the horizon in the UAE and the wider Arabian Peninsula on Sunday April 27.
This will then mean that at sunset on Monday April 28, the moon will be 18 hours and 48 minutes old and will set 54 minutes after sunset.
This then would mean that Tuesday April 29 is the start of Dhu Al-Qi'dah and Monday April 28 will be the final day of Shawwal.
As a result, Shawwal will be a 30-day month in the UAE.
This would then mean that, according to current astronomical predictions, the Eid Al Adha holiday would begin on Thursday June 5. In this instance, it would mean that we would get a four-day long weekend, inclusive of weekend dates.
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