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Travel Tips
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Holidays
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Official Fixed Public Holidays
| 1 January |
New Year's Day |
| 1 May |
Labour Day |
| 25 May |
Independence Day |
| 10 June |
Army Day |
| 11 August |
Accession of HM King Hussein |
| 14 November |
Birthday of HM King Hussein |
| 25 December |
Christmas (Christians only) |
| 31 December |
New Year's Eve |
Moveable Public Holidays
Muslim
Holidays |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
| Festival of Sacrifice (Eid Al Adha)¹ |
February 12 |
February 2 |
January 21 |
| Islamic New Year² |
March 5 |
February 22 |
February 10 |
| Good Friday |
April 18 |
April 9 |
March 24 |
| Easter³ |
April 20 |
April 11 |
March 27 |
| Birthday of Prophet Mohammad (Mawlid an Nabi)*¹ |
May 14 |
May 2 |
April 21 |
| Ascent of the Prophet (Lailat al Miraj, Islamic Observance)*² |
September 24 |
September 12 |
September 1 |
| Start of Ramadan*³ |
October 27 |
October 15 |
October 4 |
| End of Ramadan (Eid Al Fitr)**¹ |
November 26 |
November 14 |
November 3 |
| ¹ |
Culmination of the Haj or Holy Pilgrimage. |
| ² |
The lunar Islamic Hijra calendar is made up of 12 months, each month alternating between 29 and 30 days per month, culminating in a total of 354 days per year. The Hijra calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and annually moves 11 days backward through the seasons. |
| ³ |
Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar and celebrate 13 days later. |
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The Birthday of the Prophet Mohammad is celebrated on the 12th day in the month of Rabi'l of the Islamic calendar. |
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The Ascent of the Prophet Mohammad is celebrated on the 27th day in the month of Rajab of the Islamic calendar. |
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Ramadan (the month of fasting) begins with the first appearance of the new moon in the ninth month of the lunar Islamic Hijra calendar, and lasts 30 days. Dates for the start of Ramadan will vary from country to country, depending on the first appearance of the moon. |
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Feasting that officially marks the end of Ramadan, and commonly lasts for 3 days. |
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Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7. |
Weekend
Weekends are now Friday and Saturday. Some Christian businesses may close on Sunday afternoon |
