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Govt mulls two-day holiday for Idul Adha
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A boy looks on during a prayers at Al Azhar Grand Mosque to celebrate Idul Adha in Jakarta on July 10, 2022. (Reuters/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
T
he government is considering calling a two-day holiday for Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice) after deciding that the Muslim festival falls on June 29, the day after that set by Muhammadiyah, the second-largest Muslim organization in Indonesia.
“We have discussed the matter [the discrepancies in the dates set for Idul Adha and possibility of declaring both dates as national holidays] during a ministerial meeting [on Thursday] held at the office of [State Secretary] Pratikno,” Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Azwar Anas said in a statement on Friday.
“But, [whether or not there will be a two-day holiday] will depend on the final decision from President Joko Widodo,” he added.
Religious Affairs Minister Zainut Tauhid Sa'adi said the government had come to the conclusion that Idul Adha fell on June 29 following an isbat (confirmation) meeting on the sighting of hilal, the first crescent moon that marks a new month in the lunar Islamic calendar.
The meeting on Sunday concluded that the first day of the month of Dhul al-Hijjah, or the 12th month in the Islamic calendar, falls on June 20.
Also attending the isbat meeting were representatives from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Islamic organizations, the House of Representatives and government agencies, including the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
Muhammadiyah, meanwhile, will celebrate Idul Adha on June 28, a day earlier than that set by the government.
