RAKpedia

Islamic Calendar and Holidays

Although the Gregorian calendar is nowadays used in public, Islamic holidays are calculated according to the Islamic calendar. The Islamic year is based on the lunar calendar, which is divided into 12 lunar months and consists of around 354 days. The Islamic calendar is consistently shorter than the Gregorian calendar, and therefore it shifts approximately 10-12 days every year with respect to the Gregorian one. The beginning of each new month it is not merely based on astronomical calculations but at the sighting of the new moon. The Islamic era started in the year of Hijira (with the migration of the Prophet Mohammad from Mecca to Medina), which took place in the year 622 in the Gregorian calendar.

Fixed day holidays are National Day on 2^nd of December, and first day of the New Year in both Gregorian and Islamic calendars. There are also four religious holidays, which commemorate the events from the Prophet Mohammad’s life.

A three-day mourning period is usually announced when a member of the ruling families, government or the head of a neighbouring state dies. Government offices and some private companies will close for that period.

ISLAMIC CALENDAR'S HOLIDAYS

Actual dates may occur a day later.