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Category Archives: Public Holidays

Lazy Long Weekend…

11 Sep

I wish this is my long lazy afternoon..

I had been looking forward to this weekend, a 3-days consecutive off, because of Eid Al-Fitr. Somehow my things-to-do-list has already been clearly written in my mind days in advance.     

And here I am on the second day of Eid holiday, struggling to complete one sentence and not making any progress in my writing projects.   

I fret for each minute that passes because I know I could have written and finished at least one of my writing assigments. Unfortunately, it seems my mind is stubborn and uncooperative.. I find it difficult to write.   

As a result, I have been wasting my time since morning watching documentary movies and surfing the net.   

Sigh.. I really cannot afford to continue doing like this today and tomorrow. After this Eid break, I will be busy again and for sure I will not have an ample time to write again.   

I must be productive during this long weekend. I have to..

 
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Posted by on September 11, 2010 in Extra Income, Life in Abu Dhabi, Public Holidays

 

Eid Mubarak

09 Sep

Last night at past 9pm, I received a confirmation that indeed Eid is on Friday and not today though government offices are already closed for Eid holiday since yesterday while other private firms started today.  

Eid Al-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.  The beginning and the last day of Ramadan is always determined through the moon (sighting of the Crescent moon) because Muslims follow the lunar calendar in which the year is shorter for 11 to 12 days compared to the commonly used solar calendar.

For this reason, the exact date, as to when the Ramadan will start or end, will not be known in advance. However, one thing for sure! Eid is always anticipated because it means public holiday for expat workers. (**Smile**)

Generally it is a 3 days off for government and 2 days for private firms. If the Eid falls on weekdays then followed by weekend, it makes a longer Eid holiday. Sadly, the Eid this year falls on weekend.

As of next week, normal working hours and workloads are back again. (**sad**)

Anyway, Eid Mubarak to everyone!

 
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Posted by on September 9, 2010 in Events, Life in Abu Dhabi, Public Holidays, Ramadan

 

Ramadan in Abu Dhabi

11 Aug

Ramadan Kareem!

It is another holy month of Ramadan for our Muslim brothers and colleagues. Today marks the first day of Ramadan in which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.

Here are few things to remember during Ramadan.

Eating is not allowed in public areas. For years I have been working in UAE in an environment with mixed religion, I and most of my colleagues are accustomed not to eat openly in the office during Ramadan. It became a sort of common and implied gesture to respect our colleagues who are fasting. We drink our coffee or take our meals in the pantry or in any private and secluded areas.

Majority of the restaurants are closed until Suhoor or the breaking of the fast. In hotels, though they keep one restaurant open for non-Muslims, the windows and doors are covered with curtains so there is no visibility of food from the outside.

Working hours are shorter during Ramadan time. Generally Muslims will work for 6 hours only. For my company, Muslims will work from 9am to 3pm and for non-Muslims 9am to 4pm. Other companies work only for six hours regardless if you are Muslim or not.

So, if you happen to have business meetings during Ramadan and it is your first time here in UAE, it is better to check first their Ramadan office hours.

Ramadan time applies to any establishments from shopping malls to offices.

Majority of the bars and discotheques are closed too during Ramadan. If they are open, there are no live music and entertainment. I remember my first visit to a bar during Ramadan. It felt very odd because the ambience was very quiet. No upbeat and loud music. People just drank and talked.

Lastly, the commonly used greetings during this Holy Month are “Ramadan Kareem” or “Ramadan Mubarak”.

 
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Posted by on August 11, 2010 in City Events, Life in Abu Dhabi, Public Holidays, Ramadan

 

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UAE Public Holidays

03 Dec

I think end of November and December are the favored months this year for most of us, expats, because of successive public holidays. Few days break is great way to rev up your energy.

So, let’s wrap up the public holidays that took place this December.

Eid Al-Adha
The occasion of Eid Al-Adha was a three day public holiday for private sectors which started on Thursday, November 26 until Saturday, November 28. As the weekend here is Friday and Saturday, the public holidays that fell on weekends were forfeited. Still it was great to be off on Thursday!

By the way, Eid Al-Adha is a three day festivity that takes place at the end of Hajj, an annual pilgrimage of Muslims in Mecca.

UAE National Day
The 38th National Day of UAE was celebrated last 2nd of December and it was marked by a 45 minutes fireworks. It aimed to hold the record of the world’s longest fireworks in Book of Guinness.

As much as I wanted to go out during National Day to witness the various events, I was traumatized in my experience in 2007. Since then I never go out on this particular day.

This event is always anticipated with grand celebration. The streets are adorned with lights and figures which is ‘38’ this year. It represents the number of years since the country was founded. The cars which are dressed up in the color of UAE flag parade in the streets while the drivers keep sounding their horns. Others wave the flags and banners of UAE flag.

The streets are really packed with people and cars.

This was the reason that took me more than six hours to go home in 2007. I was new in Abu Dhabi and I never thought that it would be a nightmare to go out this time. My friend and I could not find any taxi at all. Desperate to go home, we ended up agreeing to pay Dhs 50 per person to a car owner who took advantage of the situation.

It also took us more than an hour to travel from the mall to my home in which in normal circumstances, it is 15 minutes drive only.

Islamic New Year
It is not yet announced but Islamic New Year may take place between December 17 or 18. If it falls on Thursday, 17th December then it signifies another day off for us.

Honestly, I always look forward for any public holidays because it gives me time to write and complete my projects.

 
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Posted by on December 3, 2009 in City Events, Public Holidays

 

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