Qatar has announced a 5-day holiday for Eid al-Adha 2025. The official holiday will extend from Dhu al-Hijjah 9 to 13, according to a recent cabinet decision that was published in the Official Gazette. The decision includes ministries, other government agencies, and public bodies and institutions.
Kuwait has also announced its holiday. During a recent Cabinet meeting, Kuwait announced that all state bodies and public institutions will suspend operations from Thursday, June 5, to Monday, June 9, in observance of the Eid al-Adha 2025 holiday. Government employees are expected to return to work on Tuesday, June 10. In the case of workplaces with “unconventional” operations, the cabinet has granted them the flexibility to set their own holiday schedules.
Eid al-Adha 2025 holiday in UAE
Other Middle Eastern countries have not yet announced the official holiday because its timing depends on the lunar or Islamic calendar. Countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE will confirm the final dates for the Islamic holiday after the moon is sighted by their committees.
The crescent moon marking the beginning of Dhu al-Hijjah is expected to be visible on May 27. If confirmed by the committees, Wednesday, May 28 will be the first day of Dhu al-Hijjah. In this case, Eid al-Adha 2025 will fall on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijjah, which would be Friday, June 6.
In the UAE, the cabinet has already approved a public holiday for Arafat Day which will likely be on June 5, followed by three days off for Eid al-Adha for both the public and private sectors, expected to take place from June 6 to June 8. However, official dates are subject to the sighting of the Moon.
What is Eid al-Adha?
Eid al-Adha is a major religious festival in the Islamic calendar. Muslims celebrate this occasion, also known as Festival of Sacrifice, by remembering how Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) demonstrated total obedience to God by preparing to sacrifice his son Ismail (Ishmael). Islam uses this event to remind believers about faith and obedience through spiritual self-sacrifice.
There are two key holidays in Islam: Eid al-Fitr, which signifies the completion of the Holy Month of Ramadan; and Eid al-Adha, which follows the completion of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Although Eid al-Adha has no direct relation to the Hajj Pilgrimage, it is but a day after the completion of Hajj and therefore has significance in time.
The day of Eid al-Adha falls on the tenth day in the final (twelfth) month of the Islamic Lunar Calendar; Dhu al-Hijjah. The day this celebrations fall on is dependent on a legitimate sighting of the moon, following the completion of the annual Holy Pilgrimage of Hajj.
