Eid Al Adha dates announced!

The initial date for this year’s celebration, which takes place after pilgrims to the holy land of Mecca in Saudi Arabia descend from Mount Arafat, was September 23. The muslim Eid-el-Kabir or Eid-il-Adha festival for 2015 will now be celebrated on 24 September.

Meanwhile, the nation’s sole liquor store Qatar Distribution Company will for the first time be closed for the two weeks up to and during Eid. That includes to Makkah, home of the Grand Mosque, where a falling crane killed more than 100 people over the weekend.

Every able-bodied adult Muslim – who can financially afford the trip – must perform hajj once in their lifetime.

The Eid Al Adha holiday could now possibly be a four-day break instead of five days as was thought earlier. No government official participated in the meeting headed by Mufti Populzai.

Public and private sector holidays for the UAE have yet to be announced.