Hijri New Year 2023 holiday in UAE: Will we get a long weekend in July?

The UAE has just finished celebrating Eid Al Adha in the last week of June which also resulted in public and private sector employees being able to enjoy a six-day long weekend.

The next public holiday in the UAE is the Islamic New Year, also known as the Hijri New Year.

The Hijri New Year signifies the start of a new lunar year for Muslims around the world. Most Muslims mark the first day of the month of Muharram as their new year. Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar also known as the Hijri calendar. Muharram 2023 will mark the start of the New Islamic Year 1445.

For many Muslims, the month is a time of prayer, mourning and reflection as well as time to spend with the family.

Islamic New Year holiday

The exact date of the Islamic New Year is yet to be confirmed by astronomers however, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) had announced a public holiday for the occasion at the start of 2023.

As per the 2022 MoHRE notification, July 21 had been declared a holiday for those working in the public sector.

#مجلس_الوزراء يعتمد أجندة العطلات الرسمية للعاملين في القطاعين الحكومي والخاص للعام 2023 pic.twitter.com/mgZiXfbaby

— UAEGOV (@UAEmediaoffice) November 27, 2022

As per convention, the exact date is confirmed only a week before the occasion and hence private sector workers will have to wait for the notification from the UAE government which is expected in the second week of July.

Previously, the UAE Cabinet had granted the private sector equal official holidays in order to streamline work in both the public and private sectors.