The much awaited declaration of the Eid al Fitr holidays has come as a pleasant bonanza for people in Oman. Since the five-day official holiday from May 1 to 5 gets sandwiched between two weekends, people can enjoy a nine-day holiday from April 29 till May 7.
On the Royal orders of of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, Eid al Fitr holiday for employees in the State’s Administrative Apparatus and other legal entities, as well as establishments of the private sector will be from Sunday, 29th Ramadan 1443 AH, corresponding to May 1 to Thursday, May 5. Work shall resume in all establishments from May 8 onwards.
The Ministry of Labour pointed out that employers may agree on terms to engage employees on the said holiday – if deemed necessary due to the nature of their work – provided they compensate the workers for the holiday.
Ever since the announcement of the Eid al Fitr holiday, Oman has been abuzz with excitement has people have already started making plans for travel as well as for fruitfully spending the extended Eid break.
The first day of Eid has not yet been confirmed. However, Abdulwahab al Busaidi, head of observatory at Oman Astronomical Society, disclosed that in all likelihood, the first day of Eid will fall on May 2, after viewing the crescent on Sunday evening.
“In order to see the crescent, there are some conditions. The moon has to be in the sky for at least 12 to 15 hours. So this time round, we are having 18 hours, which is sufficient time to see it. The second is luminosity, which will be a little low but we should be able to see it through telescope. And the third is called time horizon, which means that the moon will be on the horizon for 36 minutes,” he explained.
Meanwhile, travel and tour operators have already started making brisk business with regard to domestic and international travel while hotels and resorts in Oman have started floating special Eid staycation packages at special rates. The boom is expected to pick up in the next few days since the situation has opened up after two years of restrictions which prevented people from taking up domestic/international travel as well as booking staycations in view of the movement bans.
