Eid Al Fitr 2012 concerts

There are plenty of concerts happening around town to celebrate Eid Al Fitr. Showbiz Arabia rounds up who’s performing where

Heading to Abu Dhabi on Monday is Lebanese songstress, fashion icon and Rotana superstar Najwa Karam - Image Credit: EPA

Abu Dhabi

Sunday, August 19

Mona Amarcha and Melhim Zein

At: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre

Who? Former contestant on MBC’s Noujoum El Arab competition and face of Mikyajy cosmetics, Moroccan Mona Amarcha has released three albums to date: Mojaba (2008), Sana Oula Hob (2009) and Yas Nas Daloni (2011).

The 24-year-old, who lives in Dubai, has a huge following in the GCC, so we predict that this concert will sell out pretty quickly. Expect to hear a selection of hit singles including Mojaba, Eshtaatelak, Wainak and Gawat Galb.

Sultan Al Muhairi from the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority told us: "Mona has become a hit with Gulf audiences because of her ability to perform the Gulf dialect even though she says she only discovered Khaleeji music during the MBC competition - she has performed sell-out concerts in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Dubai and Bahrain and is now coming to the UAE capital to make our Eid, her Eid."

Sharing the stage with Amarcha on the night is a singer who also found fame after appearing on TV. LBC’s Superstar finalist Melhim Zein is now a well-known Lebanese singer, who has enjoyed great success with his four albums so far: Enti Msheeti (2004), Baddi Hebbek (2006), Aallawa (2008) and Melhem Zein 2012.

Al Muhairi added: "Melhem will complement Mona superbly and fans will get first hearings of songs from his new album."

Time: From 9pm

Tickets: Dh450, Dh650 and Dh850, available from Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi Mall and ADNEC’s Al Fanouse Ramadan Tent.
 

Monday, August 20

Karameesh Live!

At: Abu Dhabi National Theatre

Who? Live fun for the youngsters with a live showing of hit Jordanian TV children’s music show Karameesh.

Time: From 7pm

Tickets: Dh125, Dh225 and Dh325, from Marina Mall, as well as the National Theatre on the day of the show.
 

Najwa Karam and Mansour Zayed

At: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre

Who? Heading to Abu Dhabi on Monday is Lebanese songstress, fashion icon and Rotana superstar Najwa Karam.

"Najwa’s appeal is huge, having sold over 50 million records worldwide, becoming the best-selling Middle Eastern artist for five years since 1999, plus having served as a judge on the hit TV show Arabs Got Talent, as well as having produced the Middle East’s first 3D music video," said Al Muhairi.

Supporting Karam is up-and-coming Emirati singer Mansour Zayed, whose first single, Ya Damei Aini, soared to success via YouTube. The 30-year-old is now signed to major record company Rotana.

Time: From 9pm

Tickets: Dh450, Dh650 and Dh850, from Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi Mall and ADNEC’s Al Fanouse Ramadan Tent.

Dubai

Second day of Eid (scheduled to fall on August 20)

Hussain Al Jasmi and Myriam Fares

At: Shaikh Rashid Hall, Dubai World Trade Centre

Who? This duo really needs no introduction. But in case you have been living on a desert island for the past decade, one is arguably the biggest singer to come out of the UAE, and the other is a Lebanese performer and businesswoman with a plethora of hit singles to her name.

Hussain Al Jasmi rose to prominence following the release of his first single Bawada’ak in 2002. Since then, the 33-year-old Emirati has gone on to sell thousands of singles and albums, and his song Bassbour Al Fourgakom has even become one of the tunes that play during the musical shows at The Dubai Fountain.

As for Myriam Fares, the 29-year-old has enjoyed huge success with her music. Some of her biggest hits to date include La Tes’alni, Nadini, Haklik Rahtak, and Eh Elli Behsal.

Time: From 9pm

Tickets: Dh150, Dh250 and Dh350, from ticketingco.com.

Third day of Eid (scheduled to fall on August 21)

Ahlam and Khalid Abdul Rahman

At: Shaikh Rashid Hall, Dubai World Trade Centre

Who? Emirati singer Ahlam is enjoying a resurgence in her career thanks to her appearance as a judge on MBC’s Arab Idol alongside Lebanese singer Ragheb Alama and Egyptian composer Hassan Al Shafei. The 42-year-old has ten albums to her name, including the Rotana-produced Al Thokol Sana’a (2006) and Hatha Ana (2009).

Khalid Abdul Rahman, meanwhile, has been in the business since the 1980s, so it is no surprise he has been compared to fellow Saudi Arabian legends Mohammad Abdou, Abdul Majid Abdullah and Rashed Al Majid. His hit songs include Ahat, Sarihini, Khuberooh and Tedhkar.

Time: From 9pm

Tickets: Dh150, Dh250 and Dh350, from ticketingco.com.

 

Wednesday, August 22

Rabeh Sakr

At: Al Habtoor Grand Beach Resort & Spa, Dubai

Who? Saudi Arabian star Rabeh Sakr has appeared on a grand total of 29 albums -- and that’s despite the fact he had retired from music for five years, before returning to the scene in the early 2000s. Understandably, the singer has a huge following in the Gulf, so despite the crazy ticket prices, you can expect the ballroom to be a full house.

Time: From 10pm

Tickets: From Dh1,000 per person, which includes dinner. Call 04-2828111.

Fourth day of Eid (scheduled to fall on August 22)

Kathem Al Saher and Diana Haddad

At: Shaikh Rashid Hall, Dubai World Trade Centre

Who? Another duo that really needs no introduction. Diana Haddad is one of the Middle East’s most influential female singers. The Lebanese star, who resides in Dubai and has Emirati citizenship, rose to fame in 1996 following the release of one of the top-selling Arabic singles of all time, Saken. Haddad is known for not limiting herself to a single style of music, and has released songs in many genres and dialects.

Meanwhile, confirmed as one of the judges set to appear on The Voice Middle East this fall, Iraqi superstar Kathem Al Saher has released a total of 22 albums, including Fi Medreset Al Hob, Ana Wa Laila, and La Tazeedeeh Lowa’a.

Time: From 9pm

Tickets: Dh150, Dh250 and Dh350, from ticketingco.com.

It's official: Eid in UAE, Saudi Arabia on Sunday

It's official now. Muslims in the UAE and Saudi Arabia will celebrate Eid Al Fitr on Sunday as Shawal moon was not sighted on Friday evening, the moon sighting committees said.

A noted UAE astronomer had predicted last week that Eid Al Fitr will fall on Sunday 19th August.

Astronomy researcher and General Superviser of the Sharjah Planetarium Ibrahim Jarwan insisted that calculations showed that the crescent moon marking the beginning of the month of Shawwal will rise on Friday 17th August at 7.54pm. As the moonrise takes place 65 minutes after the sunset on that day, it will be impossible to see it because it will not be there on the horizon.

The ideal time to watch the crescent moon ranges between 10 to 30 minutes after the sunset on a day, explained Al Jarwan.

Thus Saturday will be the 30th day that completes the month of Ramadan, and the crescent will be visible on the horizon 17 minutes after the sunset, he added.

If Eid Al Fitr falls on Sunday, people in the UAE will enjoy a 5-day Eid holiday starting from Friday and ending on Tuesday. Work will, then, resume on Wednesday.

Authorities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman have already declared 10-day Eid holidays.

Muslims in other Gulf Arab countries are still waiting for announcement from their respective moon sighting committees. Most of Arab countries celebrate Eid on the same day.

Eid in Pakistan

But Pakistani media reports said that Shawal moon has been sighted in Pakistani cities bordering Afghanistan and the Muslims there will celebrate Eid tomorrow.

Reports said that Muslims in Miran Shah and North Waziristan will celebrate Eid tomorrow after authorities declared Eid tomorrow in those areas.

Friday night moon sighting to decide Eid holiday

Dubai: UAE residents will be on edge Friday night to find out if the Eid holidays start on Saturday.

If the crescent moon is sighted anytime after sunset, Eid will start Saturday in line with the Islamic lunar calendar.

So, what’s different about the Islamic months and why does the moon play such a shining role in the lives of countless Muslims around the world?

The tradition of moon sighting has stood for 14 centuries since the birth of Islam.

In fact, the waxing and waning of the moon — the visible part of the moon made so by sunlight spreading across its surface — has been used since ancient times to keep track of time.

“This moon or lunar calendar’s been there forever, it predates Islam. Anyone can use it. You just look at the moon and know what day of the month it is,” said Hasan Al Hariri from the Dubai Astronomy Club.

“The moon has clear fixed phases — from the crescent moon, to half moon, to full moon and back to crescent — that makes it easy to follow. So, you know what day and month it is, but what about the year?

“[In the corresponding year 622 AD] it was fixed as ‘Year One’ of the Islamic calendar, also called Hijri to mark the emigration of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, from Makkah to Madinah.”

We are now in year 1433 in the Hijri or Islamic calendar, and today (Friday) could be the last day of Ramadan.

Each of the 12 lunar Muslim months is either 29 or 30 days, as the moon’s orbit around the earth is about 28.5 days, he explained. It takes about another 24 hours to be able to see with the naked eye — the faint crescent of the new moon traditionally marking the new month.

Since the month is at least 29 days then, people look for the crescent on the night of the 30th.

If it is seen — usually in the fading twilight after sunset — the current month ends with 29 days ‘hollow’ and the next month starts.

If it is not seen — or if it is too cloudy — the current month is regarded as ‘full’, that is 30 days. This framework means the Islamic year ends up being 354 or 355 days long, compared to the regular 365-day solar year.

This made moon sighting essential for religious ceremonies — and for legal reasons like quantifying the duration of contracts and loans — and so it was done for every month. However, these days — apart from Ramadan and the Eid following it immediately — the start and end of the months are mostly based on calendar dates set in advance in scientific timetables.

“You can know to the minute when the moon will rise or set on a particular day five years down the line, for example. The moon has a fixed predictable orbit and cycle, you just work out those times in advance based on current stations,” said Noor Al Haq from Dubai’s Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities.

“Traditionally, moon sighting has been done with the naked eye, without the use of special equipment. There‘s no dispute among the religious scholars and astronomers about it, they both are specialists in their own field. It’s only the common people who don’t fully understand the logic behind these two specialities that argue over moon sighting or calculations.”

Al Haq pointed out moon sighting has its own talent, depending on the observers’ location relative to the moon, their eyesight, the weather, the height of the observation point, knowledge of where and when to look for it in the sky, among other technicalities.

“People used to take to higher ground to get a clear view of the horizon, from places like hilltops in Ras Al Khaimah. Today, some people do this from Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower, in Dubai,” Al Haq said.

Eid Al Fitr holidays announced for public and private sectors in UAE

All Muslims in in the world are fasting as this is their holy month of Ramdan. Now UAE has announced the Eid Al Fitr holidays. 

According to Gulf News: Eid Al Fitr holidays for ministries and federal government institutions will begin from Friday, August 17 (29th Ramadan 1433) and will last until the 3rd of the month of Shawwal.

Work will resume from the 4th of Shawaal, according to a circular issued by Humaid Mohammad Al Qatami, Minister of Education and Chairman of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources.

It means that Eid holidays for public sector will be from August 17 to 21  (if the month of Ramadan has 30 days and Eid falls on Sunday, August 19) and offices will open on August 22.

On the occasion, Al Qatami offered greetings to President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Their Highnesses The Supreme Council Members and Rulers of Emirates.

The minister also offered greetings to the people of UAE and the Arab and Muslim nations around the world.

Private sector

Meanwhile, Saqr Ghobash, Minister of Labour, issued a ministerial circular announcing the first and second days of the month of Shawwal as Eid Al Fitr holidays for all establishments in the private sector.

Ghobash also offered Eid greetings to the leadership and the people of UAE and Arab and Muslim nations.