Osun declares public holiday for Islamic new year
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo
Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has announced that Monday, July 8, 2024, will be a public holiday in honor of the Islamic New Year, Hijirah 1446AH.
The disclosure was made in an official statement released on Thursday by the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Honourable Rasheed Aderibigbe.
Facilitating with the Muslim faithfuls, Governor Adeleke urged them to take advantage of the occasion to offer prayers for the peace, progress, and development of Osun State in particular and Nigeria at large.
The Hijrah, or migration, refers to the Prophet Muhammad’s journey from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, marking the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
The Islamic calendar, also known as the Hijri calendar, is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 months in a year of 354 or 355 days. Each year is denoted as “AH” (Anno Hegirae), starting from the year of the Hijrah.
As of 2024, the Islamic year is 1446AH. This means it has been 1446 lunar years since the Hijrah.
The Islamic New Year, celebrated on the first day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is a time for reflection, prayer, and community gatherings among Muslims worldwide.
It is an occasion to remember the Prophet Muhammad’s journey and the establishment of the first Muslim community in Medina, which laid the foundations for the spread of Islam.
