The Eid-ul-Fitr, the largest religious festival of the Muslims, is a time of great happiness and rejoicing to be spent in the warm embrace of the near and dear ones.

But for the country's 13 lakh public servants, the upcoming Eid will be more joyous as they are going to have an extended holiday.

The government yesterday announced July 4, the only workday between the Eid holidays, as a public holiday, paving the way for a nine-day vacation starting from July 1.

The first two days of July are weekend, while the next day will be another holiday for Shab-e-Qadr. The next three days will be the official holiday for Eid followed by another weekend. It means the public servants will have their vacation from July 1 till July 9.

However, the government employees will have to make up for July 4 on July 16, a Saturday.

The Eid will be held either on July 6 or 7 depending on sighting of the moon.

The private sector, however, is not going to have such a privilege. Many private jobholders will not have off for more than the three-day official holidays.

Eager to be the first in line, a man sleeps on the window ledge of a ticket counter. Photo: Sk Enamul Haq

The official holiday for Eid is three days if it is not followed by weekend or other government holidays. Those who celebrate Eid at their village homes find the three-day holiday insufficient. Therefore, they either take leave or manage their offices before the beginning of Eid holidays. Some even take leave of a few days or come late after the vacation.

"I don't think the officials would need to take such leaves this year," said an official of the health ministry preferring anonymity.

The long vacation will not only enable the public servants to have a proper celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr, it is also expected to make the travel on the country's highways, waterways and rails a bit trouble-free.

Every year the rush of holidaymakers reaches its peak just two to three days before Eid when a large number of people leave the capital by three modes of transports -- bus, train and vessel -- braving sufferings in their journey to be home.

Photographs of launches swarming with passengers or the long tailback in the two ferry ghats at Paturia and Mawa are very common for quite a long time.

But this time there might be a change in the scenario. The pressure on the transports may come down if people start leaving bustling Dhaka for their homes much ahead of Eid.

The residents of Dhaka may also have a respite from the gruelling traffic jam just for a few days before Eid when people in their hundreds turn to shopping arcades.