UAE: Ramadan 2023, Eid Holidays Revealed

According to the Emirates Astronomical Society, the Ramadan festival will most probably start on March 23 this year. The first day of Eid Al Fitr probably falls on Friday, April 21 and the holy month is calculated for a total of 29 days as per the estimates of the Astronomical Society.

The new calculations for 2023 and predicted dates were revealed by Ibrahim Al Jarwan, the chairman of the board of directors of the Emirates Astronomical Society.

The official Eid Al Fitr holiday Date Revealed

The Eid Al Fitr is observed from Ramadan 29 to Shawwal 3 in the UAE as mentioned in the Hijri Islamic calendar months and this falls from April 20 (Thursday) to 23 (Sunday) this year when looking at the astronomical calculations.

So the residents of Dubai can expect a four-day holiday weekend from April 20 to 23 to celebrate the holy Ramadan festival. Although the exact dates of the beginning of Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr will be announced after the sighting of the moon, a probable timeline is mentioned through the above-mentioned dates.

It can either stick to these same dates or can vary by a maximum period of one or two days as these depend on the cycle of the moon. Eminent Islamic religious scholars carefully observe these moon cycles and decide on the beginning and end of the Ramadan month in the UAE.                                    

Al Jarwan also noted that the first day of the Islamic month Dhul Hijjah will fall on June 19 (Monday) which means Eid Al Adha will be observed on 28 June, nine days from the first day of the Islamic month.

On June 27, Arafah Day is observed and it falls one day before Eid Al Adha so the holiday would be from June 27 (Tuesday) to June 30 (Friday). 

Al Jarwan also said that UAE will witness two lunar eclipses this year, the first being a penumbral lunar eclipse visible on the 5th of May and then a partial lunar eclipse showing itself on 28 October.

Apart from this, a supermoon will be seen on August 31 in the night skies of the UAE. As per the reports of the Dubai Astronomy Group, a number of meteor showers are also predicted to happen this year. 

1. Lyrids Meteor Shower- April 22 to 23
2. Aquarids Meteor Shower- May 6 to 7 
3. Perseids Meteor Shower- August 12 to 13
4. Draconids Meteor Shower- 7 October
5. Orionids Meteor Shower- October 21 to 22 
6. Taurids Meteor Shower- November 4 to 5
7. Leonids Meteor Shower- November 17 to 18
8. Geminids Meteor Shower- December 13 to 14 
9. Ursids Meteor Shower- December 21 to 22

Here is the list of the fourteen public holidays in the UAE that you can expect in 2023. 

1. New Year – January 1 
2. Eid Al Fitr – April 20, 21, 22 and 23 (Ramadan 29 to Shawwal 3)
3. Arafat Day- June 27 (Dhul Hijjah 9)
4. Eid Al Adha- June 28, 29, 30 (Dhul Hijjah 10, 11, 12)
5. New Year in the Islamic calendar- July 19 
6. Birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)- September 27 
7. Commemoration Day- December 1 
8. UAE National Day- December 2,3       

This list will help you to plan ahead in 2023 and make the holidays worthwhile by charting our interesting things to do in the UAE or by taking a short trip to other parts of the world during the extended holidays.

One of the longest holidays might fall on Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha which starts from June 27, Tuesday to June 30, Friday. For people who have Saturday and Sunday off, this will translate to a big six-day holiday week.

According to the new weekend system in Dubai, Friday is considered a half working day with Saturday and Sunday as full holiday weekends. The UAE government adopted this weekend format to keep up with international business practices.