Rabat – President of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) Chakib Alj has urged business leaders in the private sector to consider the possibility of offering their employees Monday as a public holiday on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr.
As Eid Al-Fitr is expected to fall either on April 21 or 22, the government has decided to extend the Eid holiday for public servants to Monday April 24.
Eid Al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan. Its specific date depends on moon sighting, and officials will formally announce the exact day on Thursday, once the crescent moon sighting is performed.
Muslims head to mosques on the morning of the Eid to perform a special Eid prayer. Families afterwards gather around a breakfast table with various traditional dishes, with the holiday also being marked by an exchange of foods and visits.
Attired in their best clothing, it is customary and religiously advised that families and friends pay visits to one another to revive what is known in Islam as “Silat al-Rahim,” or maintaining the ties of kinship.
On this day, children wear their newly-bought garments and adults usually go for traditional clothes. As a sign of caring and rewarding children for having participated in Ramadan rituals and practices, the elders often offer them gifts or, more often, a small amount of money.
Eid Al-Fitr is one of two major holidays in Islam, with the other being Eid Al Adha, which follows two months later.
Read also: Morocco Extends Eid Al Fitr Holiday to Monday, April 24
