Eid holiday now seven days as govt adds extra day

The government has extended the official holiday by one more day, making it a total of seven days to ensure smooth travel for people returning home to observe Eid-ul-Fitr.

The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting on Thursday (March 5) at the Secretariat, presided over by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. After the meeting, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobi Hajjaj confirmed the announcement to journalists.

According to the decision, an extra holiday has been declared on March 18, before Eid. As a result, government employees’ Eid holiday will effectively begin on March 17 (Tuesday), which is already a holiday for Shab-e-Qadr.

Eid may be celebrated on March 20 or 21, depending on the sighting of the moon. Based on the probable date, the government had earlier scheduled a five-day holiday from March 19 to 23. However, with the addition of an extra day, government employees will now enjoy the holiday from March 18 to 23. Including the Shab-e-Qadr holiday on March 17, they will be able to observe a continuous seven-day holiday.