Dateline Monday 20th March 2023

Happy Monday morning, last week the weather got cold again then it warmed up then it got cold now at last it seems it is going to stay warmish but warm weather in March and April means that rain is on the way. According to the weather forecast it’s going to be a very wet week this week.

Lots going on today, Spring 2023 starts today Monday 20th March 2023 and ends Wednesday, 21st June 2023 when summer begins and whilst I am on a theme, Daylight Savings will start at 1am on Sunday, 26th March 2023 that is NEXT Sunday, the clocks 'spring forward' one hour as we welcome the sunnier days of Spring and Summer the clocks will then “fall” back by one hour on Sunday 29th October. Today is also the Spring Equinox where the day and night are exactly the same length.

And another celebration today is Nowruz, the Iranian or Persian New Year celebrated by various ethnicities worldwide. It is a festival based on the Iranian Solar Hijri calendar, on the spring equinoxon or around 21 March on the Gregorian calendar. The day of Nowruz has its origins in the Iranian religion of Zoroastrianism and is thus rooted in the traditions of the Iranian peoples; however, it has been celebrated by diverse communities for over 3,000 years in Western Asia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Black Sea Basin, the Balkans, and South Asia. Presently, while it is largely a secular holiday for most celebrants and enjoyed by people of several different faiths and backgrounds, Nowruz remains a holy day for Zoroastrians, Baháʼís, and some Muslim communities.

Ramadan starts on Wednesday 22nd March so as ever I went onto the internet to get the full nine yards about Ramadan. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims won't eat or drink during the hours of daylight. Ramadan remembers the month the Qur'an the Muslim holy book was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The actual night that the Qur'an was revealed is a night known as Lailut ul-Qadr 'The Night of Power'. Ramadan is in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The exact dates of Ramadan change every year. This is because Islam uses a calendar based on the cycles of the Moon. Ramadan starts when the new Moon first appears in the night sky. Full moon marks the middle of Ramadan. As the moon wanes Ramadan finishes. Most Muslims fast between dawn and sunset. During Ramadan, it is common to have one meal known as the suhoor, just before dawn and another known as the iftar, directly after sunset.

Many Muslims will attempt to read the whole of the Qur'an at least once during Ramadan. They will also attend special services in Mosques during which the Qur'an is read.

Now that you know all about Ramadan it only leaves me to wish everyone celebrating the festival Ramadan Mubarak, or Ramadan Kareem, a blessed Ramadan.

MM and Company news update

Abu Dhabi

Jyoti, Christina, Jean Yan and the team at TRAVCO DMC Abu Dhabi have told us about the upgraded “incentive” from the Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau to the conference, event and incentive industry. It is called Advantage Abu Dhabi | Meetings & Incentives. Abu Dhabi Convention and Exhibition Bureau (ADCEB) has upgraded Advantage Abu Dhabi – Meetings and Incentives. In collaboration with their partner Etihad Airways and key MICE industry stakeholders within the Emirate, the program provides more comprehensive destination-driven value-adds and enhanced experiences to incentivise Abu Dhabi as a destination for conferences, meetings & incentives. The financial support provides a unique opportunity for event organisers to gain financial support starts from AED100 that in real money is £23 per person once you get into big numbers 500 plus pax the incentive increases to a maximin of £78 per person. An incentive for the incentive industry.