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Calendar

THE CALENDAR
The Saudi Government operates according to the Hegira calendar, a lunar reckoning from the year of the Hegira (Prophet Muhammad's journey from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.D.). The twelve months of the Hegira calendar have 20 or 30 days totaling 354 days. Because the beginning of each month depends upon the sighting of the moon, it is not unusual for the calendar to be adjusted during the year.

THE WORK WEEK
Friday is the weekly day of rest. The normal work week is Saturday through Thursday, although many companies work at half day on Thursday. All government offices are closed on Thursday.

SPECIAL PERIODS
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Hegira calendar. It is a period of day-time fasting for all Muslims except the sick, the weak, nursing mothers, children under the age of puberty, military personnel during a war and travelers. The fast consists of abstinence form food, drink, smoking and sexual intercourse from daybreak to nightfall. Nighttime is filled with feasting and prayers. The completion of the month of fasting is celebrated by the Eid al-Fitr (the Feast of Breaking the Fast), a three-day holiday commencing on the first day of Shawwal, the month following Ramadan. Nearly all businesses are closed for this holiday; government offices take a longer holiday. The pilgrimage to Mecca (the Haj) is one of the five requirements of Pillars of Islam and should be performed by all Muslims who can afford it. The Haj occurs during the first ten days of the twelfth Hegira month (Dhy al-Hujjah). Millions of the faithful descend on Mecca and, to a lesser extent Medina, to perform ritual acts of devotion. The first pilgrims may arrive in Saudi Arabia two months in advance, and the last may depart two or three months after the actual dates of the Haj. The feast at the end of Haj, Eid al-Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice) begins on the tenth of Dhy al-Hijjah and lasts about four days. This, like the Eid al-Fitr, is a holiday observed by both businesses and government offices, although the latter are generally closed for a longer period. The Ministry of Labor announces the holiday periods each year. Unfortunately, these announcements are made very close to the start of the actual holiday. Only emergency services are performed by the Government during these holidays. Because of the cut-off date for accepting passports for exit/re-entry visas, travelers must apply for these well in advance. The Saudi National Day is the only holiday consistently observed according to the Western calendar. It occurs on September 23rd, Neither business nor government offices usually close on this day.

Source:
Culture and Living in Saudi Arabia
http://www.ihrcanada.com/saudi/culture.htm

TIME ZONE
All of Saudi Arabia is in one time zone.  Saudi Arabia is three hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

CALENDAR CONVERTER:  ISLAMIC-CHRISTIAN