Good Time to Visit
Weather
The Sudan is very hot all year, although marginally less so from November to March. The winters are cooler in the north, whilst the south has much higher rainfall. Sandstorms blow across the Sahara from April to September. More detailed information can be found in the Climate in Sudan section.
Visitors are recommended to bring tropical clothes all year, with warmer clothes for cool mornings and evenings (particularly in the desert).
Festivals
Annual events celebrated in Sudan are mainly Muslim holy days, such as Eid-al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, and Ramadan (dates vary). Local tribes also have their own festivals and customs, often characterised by traditional dancing. Independence Day is celebrated on 1 January, while Revolution Day is on 30 June.
Public Holidays
The following table shows the public holidays celebrated in Sudan:
| Date | Holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 January | Independence Day |
| 7 January | Coptic Christmas |
| April/May (variable) | Coptic Easter |
| 30 June | Revolution Day |
| 25 December | Christmas Day |
| Variable* | Islamic New Year |
| Variable* | Al-Mowlid Al Nabawi (Birth of the Prophet) |
| Variable* | Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan) |
| Variable* | Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) |
* Although Muslim holidays always fall on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date they are celebrated on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year, due to the fact that the Islamic calendar is lunar whilst the Gregorian calendar is solar. Because this lunar year is about 11 days shorter than the solar year, Islamic holy days usually shift 11 days earlier each successive solar year. The method used to determine when each Islamic month begins also varies from country to country.
