Holidays
On 1 September 2006, Bahrain changed its weekend from being Thursdays and Fridays to Fridays and Saturdays, in order to have a day of the weekend shared with the rest of the world. Other non-regular holidays are listed below:
| Date | English name | Local (Arabic) name | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | رأس السنة الميلادية | The Gregorian New Year's Day, celebrated by most parts of the world. |
| 1 May | Labour Day | يوم العمال | |
| 16 December | National Day | اليوم الوطني | National Day, Accession Day for the late Amir Sh. Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa |
| 17 December | Accession Day | يوم الجلوس | |
| 1st Muharram | Islamic New Year | رأس السنة الهجرية | Islamic New Year (also known as: Hijri New Year). |
| 9th, 10th Muharram | Day of Ashura | عاشوراء | Commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein. |
| 12th Rabiul Awwal | Prophet Muhammad's birthday | المولد النبوي | Commemorates Prophet Muhammad's birthday, celebrated in most parts of the Muslim world. |
| 1st, 2nd, 3rd Shawwal | Little Feast | عيد الفطر | Commemorates end of Ramadan. |
| 9th Zulhijjah | Arafat Day | يوم عرفة | |
| 10th, 11th, 12th Zulhijjah | Feast of the Sacrifice | عيد الأضحى | Commemorates Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son. Also known as the Big Feast (celebrated from the 10th to 13th). |
Read more about this topic: Culture Of Bahrain