Ask someone what month Ramadan was when he or she set foot in the UAE and you will know what year he or she arrived. Will anyone of you dear readers then tell me what year we relocated in Dubai when Ramadan ended before Christmas Day?
Ramadan begins 10 to12 days earlier each year. It covers all months in a 33-year cycle. Interestingly, according to Minhal Khan, there will be two Ramadan season in 2030. One at the start of January and another at the end of December. As explained in one website, as it is based on the lunar calendar, the Islamic calendar only has 354-355 days, due to the fact that a lunar cycle typically lasts for 29 or 30 days rather than the 30 or 31 days per month used in the solar calendar, which the dominant Gregorian calendar is based on.
Celebrating Ramadan in Dubai, in particular, has changed dramatically in the last five years. I remember during my first year working here, I was going around Deira, conducting door-to-door marketing, and I wanted to eat lunch so what I did was buy a juice and a sandwich at convenient store and went to a 5-star hotel and ate inside the toilet. What an experience. At least in a 5-star toilet.
Now you can even eat inside the mall and roadside fastfood chains any time during daytime. Of course, we eat sitting down and not walking around out of respect to those who are fasting. We still have to observe the solemnity of the season.
This was taken from the internet: Why Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam? Through this temporary deprivation, they renew their awareness of and gratitude for everything God has provided in their lives—including the Qur’an, which was first revealed during this month. During Ramadan they share the hunger and thirst of the needy as a reminder of the religious duty to help those less fortunate.
Ramadan is also a great time to have iftar with colleagues and friends. Iftar is a meal taken by Muslims at sundown to break the daily fast during Ramadan.
At Tristar, I conducted an annual Media Iftar from 2013 to 2018 with contacts from magazines, newspapers, TV and radio stations, and online news portals. It was a thanksgiving given by our Group CEO with the media professionals who have shared our growth and social responsibility stories with the general public. We also have our annual Labor Accommodation Iftar where our Group CEO, again, thank our drivers and ground staff for their hard work and dedication. We have another annual thanksgiving party at the accommodation at the end of the year.
As a family of whatever nationality and religion, Ramadan means more time together as working hours have been shortened to less two hours from the normal working time.
Again this was taken from the internet: Ramadan is also a time for reflection, prayer, and charitable acts. Muslims often break their fast with a special meal called Iftar, which is a time of community and togetherness. Ramadan is a time of deep spiritual significance for Muslims, as it is a month of increased devotion, reflection, and gratitude.
We, the Catholics in the Middle East, are also in the period of deep reflection as we are celebrating Holy Week, April 3 to 9. May this week, this Ramadan, really be our time to thank our God Almighty for all the blessings we have, small or big. And may we be able to share our blessings with those who are last, least, lost and little. Ramadan Kareem and advance Happy Easter.