ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government on Tuesday announced a three-day holiday from June 29 to July 1 on account of the Muslim festival of Eid Al-Adha, an official notification issued in this regard said.
Eid Al-Adha is one of the two most important festivals of the Islamic calendar. The other, Eid Al-Fitr, occurs at the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting. Muslims mark the Eid Al-Adha holiday by slaughtering animals such as sheep and goats. The meat is shared among family and friends and donated to the poor.
The faithful across continents celebrate the festival which comes as the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia draws to a close.
“It is for general information that the prime minister is pleased to approve public holidays on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha as follows: 29th and 30th June 2023 (Thursday and Friday) for the offices observing five days working in a week,” the notification said.
“Twenty-ninth June to 1st July 2023 (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) for the offices observing 6 days working in a week.”
The holidays were announced a day after Pakistan’s moon sighting body confirmed that the festival would be observed in the country on Thursday, June 29.
On Sunday, the crescent moon for Dhul Hijjah was sighted in Saudi Arabia and the first day of the month was observed there on June 19.
In the Kingdom, the day of Arafah — considered the holiest in Islam — will be on Tuesday, June 27, while the first day of Eid Al-Adha will be celebrated on Wednesday, June 28, in Saudi Arabia.
