RIYADH — Public sector employees in Saudi Arabia will enjoy a two-week holiday that is set to begin at the end of the workday on July 23. The employees are to return to work on Aug. 9, a report in Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said on Monday. Private sector employees will get a four-day holiday starting from the end of the workday on July 29 through Aug. 2, the report said. A member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences announced in June that the Eid Al-Adha will be observed on Friday, July 31. According to labor laws, if the holiday dates fall on an employee's usual weekend, he or she shall be compensated for the days before or after the holiday, according to a Ministry of Labor and Social Development statement carried by SPA. Eid Al-Adha is celebrated by Muslims around the world a day after the Standing on Arafat, the pinnacle of Hajj. It also commemorates the day Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was willing to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to the command of Almighty Allah.
