Officials made the call on Tuesday evening.
Ramadan for 2018 will begin on Thursday May 17, it has been confirmed.
An official moon-sighting committee met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday evening after Maghreb prayers, The National reports, and determined that the Holy Month would begin two days later.
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This puts the UAE’s date in line with Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Kuwait.
Ramadan lasts for 29 or 30 days every year, during which private sector workers are entitled to work two hours less per day. Public sector employees will work from 9am to 2pm during the Holy Month.
The month will end when the new moon is sighted again, with the Eid Al Fitr holiday. You can check out a full list of public holidays for 2018 here, though of course, many of these dates will be confirmed much closer to the time.
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Back in March, Ibrahim Al Jarwan of the Sharjah Centre for Space and Astronomy said we could expect the fasting period to last 13 hours and 25 minutes at the beginning of the Holy Month.
The length of fasting will reach 15 hours by the end of Ramadan, he added, according to Gulf Business. Since this year’s Ramadan begins before the summer solstice, the fasting period will get longer as the month goes on.
That hasn’t happened for 18 years, The National reported.
Officials emphasised the need for caution on the roads during the Holy Month. In 2017, more accidents happened during the later rush hour of 10-11am than at any other time.
Stay safe, and have a peaceful Ramadan.
Image: Getty
