Muslim Religious Holidays
The special Muslim holidays can affect your travels in the Middle East or other predominantly Muslim countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, so it is worth spending some time to study what these special days are about.
Muslim vacations never ever landed on the same day of the Western calendar year.
There are two type of calendars in use in the Middle East:
1. The Gregorian calendar, that is made use of worldwide, is a solar calendar, with 365-366 days in a year.
For instance, the validity of your visa to Jordan could be 1 month according to the Gregorian calendar, and you will certainly also need to make use of Gregorian dates when reserving a hotel.
2. But islamic religious matters, Muslim vacations are observed according to the so called Hijri calendar. This is a lunar calendar and has 354-355 days in a year.
One lunar month lasts from new moon to the next brand-new moon and the precise beginning of the month of Ramadan, for instance, is based on the sight of the moon.
Main Islamic Holidays:
The Prophet’s Birthday: 15th February 2011, public vacation.
Ramadan: the holy month of Fasting, the 9th months in the Hijri calendar. In 2010 it will certainly be observed between 11th August and 9th September (+/- 1 day depending upon the sight of the moon).
Eid Al Fitr (likewise called Idul Fitri in some countries): The very first day of Shawwal, the 10th month, and marks completion of Ramadan. In 2010 it is expected to be on the 9th September and usually followed by a cca. one-week public holiday.
Hajj: The pilgrimage to Capital, in 2010 it will certainly be between 14th and 18th November. Despite the fact that it is not public vacation, the Hajj produces lots of traffic to and from Saudi Arabia and the neighboring countries so deserves considering when preparing your journey to the area.
Eid Al Adha: it will be observed on 16th November 2010. It is normally accompanied by a cca. one week school vacation so Aqaba gets extremely crowded throughout this period.
Islamic New Year: 7th December 2010, public holiday.
Whether you pass by train, watercraft, airplane, vehicle or bus, a holiday is something to expect.
After landing, make smart wholesome food choices-you recognize my motto “every little thing in percentages, there is not one food that is totally superb or absolutely bad for you.” If you’re on a trip with buffet after buffet of good ideas to consume, choose a lot of fruits, vegetables, mixed greens (sans luscious dressings) lean meats, fowl, as well as fish and shellfish. Alternating with your desserts-one day choose fruits, sorbet, or sherbet, and one more day pick cake, bread or parfait.
The costs here are for two individuals as well as consist of meals, area, washing, toiletries, visas as well as overland (typically neighborhood) trip:
