RIYADH — Government employees will now get their salaries on the fifth day of each Solar Hijri month, according to a source at the Ministry of Finance. The ministry's announcement has caused confusion among citizens as many social media users began inquiring about the exact date when they will receive their next salary and what exactly is the Solar Hijri calendar. The Kingdom mainly follows the Hijri calendar in most of its affairs and considers the Hijri calendar as its official calendar. However, various sectors in the Kingdom have been following the Gregorian calendar since 1975. In an attempt to unify the dates between sectors, the ministry decided to distribute the salaries of government employees according to the Solar Hijri calendar, said the source. The Solar Hijri (SH) calendar is considered more accurate than the Gregorian calendar as it follows astronomical calculations rather than mathematical rules. The Solar Hijri calendar corresponds to each of the 12 zodiac signs. The first six months of the Solar Hijri calendar have 31 days, the next five months of the calendar have 30 days and the last month of the calendar has 29 days in regular years and 30 days in leap years. So, based on the Solar Hijri calendar, the salaries for the current month will be dispensed on the fifth day of the Cancer zodiac sign which coincides with Oct. 28, said the source. The salaries for next month will be issued on Nov. 26, he added. The fifth day of the Scorpion sign for this year corresponds to Muharram 26 and Oct. 28. The fifth day of the Sagittarius sign for this year corresponds to Safar 26 and Nov. 26. The fifth day of the Capricorn sign for this year corresponds to Rabi Awal 27 and Dec. 26. The fifth day of the Aquarius sign for this year corresponds to Rabi Thani 27 and Jan. 25, said the source. The fifth day of the Pisces sign for this year corresponds to Jamadi Awal 27 and Feb. 24. The fifth day of the Aries sign for this year corresponds to Jamadi Akhir 26 and March 25. The fifth day of the Taurus sign for this year corresponds to Rajab 28 and April 25. The fifth day of the Gemini sign for this year corresponds to Shaaban 30 and May 26. The fifth day of the Cancer sign for this year corresponds to Shawal 2 and June 26. The fifth day of the Leo sign for this year corresponds to Dhul Qidah 4 and July 27. The fifth day of the Virgo sign for this year corresponds to Dhul Hijjah 5 and Aug. 27. The fifth day of the Libra sign corresponds to Muharram 5 of 1439 and Sept. 26 of 2017. We are in 1395 Solar Hijri year.
