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Mawlid an-nabi – Prophet Muhammed’s Birthday – February 3-4


On the 12th day of Rabi’ al-awwal, Sunni Muslims around the world observe Mawlid an-nabi, the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, while many Shias will celebrate on the 17th. Because the holiday is lunar based, the date on the Gregorian calendar varies every year. When the sun sets on February 3rd or 8th, a new day begins, and so do the official celebrations in 40+ countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Muslims celebrate by focusing on the life and teachings of Muhammad by singing songs and saying special prayers. It is a time of forgiveness and giving back to the less fortunate in the community. It is also a point of tension as there are large numbers of Muslims who choose not to celebrate the date as it was never originally celebrated by the Prophet himself and his early followers.

Upcoming dates 2012 & 2013

2012

Sunni Muslims:

Beginning at Sunset on Friday, February 3 until the following sunset on February 4 (North America)

Shia Muslims:

Beginning at Sunset on Friday, February 8 until the following sunset on February 9 (North America)

2013

Sunni Muslims: January 24, 2013

Shia Muslims: January 29, 2013

Historical Origin

The first celebrations of Mawlid were recorded in the 6th/7th century by Ibn Jubayr as he described the house of Muhammad’s birth in Mecca, Saudi Arabia as having “all men enter it to derive blessing from it.” Early celebrations included animal sacrifice, feasting, public sermons, and public processions. While in modern times the celebrations begin at night, the festival originally dominated the daytime hours. Over time, local influences took precedence in the holiday and it gradually spread throughout the Arab world and beyond to form a daylong festivity unique to each place and culture.

Customs

Celebrations vary greatly from country to country depending on the type of Islam that locals adhere to. In places such as Indonesia, festivities rival and even surpass those of the two main holidays of Eid-al-Adha and Eid ul-Fitr. For other countries such as India and Pakistan, large street processions are held, homes and mosques are beautifully decorated, and scholars, poets and parents alike recount the life of Muhammad. Charity is one of the most important aspects of the holiday as the poor are looked after on this day and prayers are said at mosques throughout the world, giving thanks to the lessons of forgiveness, suffering, and faith that the Prophet handed down to the people.

Foods

Tharida (Northern Africa) – bread crumbled into savory broth, meat & rice (camel, lamb, or beef), asida – semolina porridge, rice pudding, and various sweets with honey (including baklava)

Countries where it is celebrated

All of the Middle East and North Africa (except Saudi Arabia), Central Asia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sudan, Nigeria, Indonesia, Malaysia, Canada, UK, and other places with large Muslim populations.

If you found this post interesting and want a comprehensive list of international holidays, then you might be interested in our company’s calendar with over 1400 other international holidays, check it out here.

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By admin – February 3, 2012

Japan Celebrates Setsubun (節分) – February 3

Setsubun has historically been linked to the solar calendar and the 24 corresponding periods. Risshun, or spring period, begins on February 4th on the Gregorian calendar as the sun hits a longitude of 315 degrees. It marks the end of the previous solar period, Taikan, meaning ‘severe cold’. Like many other East Asian celebrations in and around February, Setsubun is a celebration of the coming springtime and marks the start of the traditional Japanese New Year. It is held each year on February 3rd and is known as “New Year’s Eve” when evil spirits are to be cast out before the New Year is ushered in shortly thereafter. The ritual of bean throwing to expel the evil spirits from the home is where the holiday derives its name.

Historical Origin

While Setsubun has been a part of Japanese culture since its introduction by the Chinese during the Nara period in the 8th century, Mamemaki, the act of throwing beans during the holiday, began later on during the Muromachi period (1336 to 1573). Setsubun found its way into the homes of the ruling imperial elites and was later spread to the local citizens. Historically, it has always been seen as the return of the sun with the associated climactic changes, casting out of evil, rebirth, and marking of the time when villages should prepare for the coming planting of crops.

Customs

Japan, a very industrialized and western nation, has been using the Gregorian calendar since 1873, and thus events based on the traditional lunisolar system like Setsuban have decreased in significance. However, one historical tradition of the holiday involves the male head of the household dressing in an ‘oni’ mask (devil/demon).  The man next goes to the front door of the house. When the family opens the door they would shout: “鬼は外! 福は内!” (Demons out! Luck in!) At the same time they would throw soybeans at the masked figure and slam the door on it.

Soybeans, a staple of Japanese cuisine, also possess purifying qualities that were believed to rid the house of sickness and evil. Sometimes, a tree is decorated with pungent smelling items such as fish, garlic, or onions to ward off the evil spirits. Today it is more common to see people visiting temples to bring in luck for the New Year. Several other traditions have popped up along the way including eating Nori Maki (sushi wrapped in a specific kind of seaweed) in silence while facing the ‘lucky direction’ based on the degrees of the sun.

Foods

Roasted soybeans are a common food to munch on during Setsubun as they promise to bring health and good fortune. It is also popular to eat Nori Maki or Fukumaki (longer, uncut rolls of sushi), and even variations of sardines.

Where is Setsubun Celebrated?

Setsubun is celebrated in Japan and in communities with large Japanese populations such as in the United States and Brazil.

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By admin – February 2, 2012

Celebrating Imbolc and St. Brigit of Kildare – February 1 & 2

For Neo Pagans, Wiccans, and Druids in the Northern Hemisphere, February 1 is the traditional day for celebrating Imbolc: the halfway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox. While Germanic mythology separates the year into quarters denoted by the solstices/equinoxes of summer, winter, fall, and spring, the Gaelic calendar takes it a step further and splits into 8ths with additional dates at the halfway points in between.

Imbolc has been celebrated by the Celtic peoples of the UK and Ireland for centuries and refers to the period in the New Year when ewes (female sheep) begin to lactate in preparation for giving birth in a few short weeks during the springtime. For the largely agrarian peoples who inhabited these lands early on, this was a time of preparation and excitement symbolizing that winter was coming to an end and spring would bring new life to the earth.

Old Irish: I mbolg – “in the belly”

Medieval Irish: Oimelc – “Ewe’s Milk”

Rituals:

From medieval texts we know that Imbolc was celebrated by drinking milk and eating butter & cheese that would have been made from sheep and or goats. This would have been eaten with bread, a staple, and any stored onions/leeks or other grains or vegetables that the family would have fortunately been left with during the harsh winter months. Forms of weather speculation for the upcoming season would have been common. The emergence of snakes from their winter boroughs on Imbolc would have been symbolic to the Celts as a sign of the coming spring. References to this event can be seen in this Scottish Highlands Proverb:

Thig an nathair as an toll
Là donn Brìde,
Ged robh trì troighean dhen t-sneachd
Air leac an làir.

The serpent will come from the hole
On the brown Day of Bride,
Though there should be three feet of snow
On the flat surface of the ground.

Additionally, the legend of Cailleach, the keeper of winter, is important to the weather forecast. It is said that on Imbolc, Cailleach sets out to gather firewood for the rest of the winter. If she decides winter is to continue for a longer period of time, the day will be sunny and warm so that she can spend the whole day collecting the firewood needed to see her through the rest of the season. If the day is filled with foul weather, then Cailleach has not awoken and will run out of firewood, putting an early end to winter.

For modern ways to celebrate the holiday, please see the ritual section of this page.

Christianization of the holiday:

Like many other holidays in Europe, Christianity and local beliefs have found a harmonious balance. Imbolc is no exception as it is has also been associated with the Goddess Brighid (or Bride in Scots Gaelic). Óiche Fheil Bhrighide, or ‘Eve of St. Brighid’, is the Christianized name of the holiday. St. Brighid, whose feast day is February 2, is one of three patron saints of Ireland (specifically of farmers, education, and fertility). St. Brighid’s deity counterpart also represents these qualities.

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By admin – February 2, 2012

The American Dream: A Generational Perspective

On Tuesday night during President Barack Obama’s 2012 State of the Union Address the ‘American Dream’ was once again put front and center on the world’s stage.  Though Obama referenced it as “the basic American promise,” his true meaning was clear by this description of his grandparent’s post WWII belief that, “if you worked hard, you could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, and put a little away for retirement.”  Obama brought up the subject of the American Dream to reflect on the current state that it is in, and according to the President, it is in peril due to current economic trends and the state of the US economy.

While the faltering economic condition of the United States has been at the center of many hearts and minds for the past four or so years, my own thoughts became preoccupied with Obama’s description of the America Dream. The President’s description made me stop and consider how the concept of the American Dream must have evolved over the years.  The American Dream that Obama described was certainly compelling to the Baby Boomer Generation and even to many from Gen X, but I have to wonder if this description is as compelling to Gen Y and younger generations?

In doing research on the current state of the American Dream I came across the man who originally coined the term in 1931, John Truslow Adams. In his book The Epic of America, Mr. Adams described his 1931 American Dream to be:

“…that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” 

While the idea of the American Dream surely existed long before Mr. Adams penned the above phrase, I think that his statement has a compelling modernity about it.  For me, a member of Generation Y, Mr. Adam’s version of the American Dream is a much more compelling vision than the “American Promise” described last Tuesday night.

Besides my own opinion, there are other reasons that I have my doubts regarding the future applicability of Obama’s version of the American Dream. Those other reasons come out of the work that our company, Culture Coach International, does around the four different generations in America today. Specifically, we work with companies on the topic of generations in the workplace.  One of the reasons that so many companies come to us with requests for consulting and training around the issue of generations is because of the fact that each generation has such distinct “generational personalities” that workers from different generations often times come into conflict with one another and this affects productivity, teamwork and employee engagement.  These conflicts arise from the different values, communication styles and work styles that workers from different generations possess.

Given this logic and my understanding of the basic profiles of the different generations, it stands to reason that the post WWII American Dream as described by Obama in his State of the Union Address, might not be as compelling to the Millennial and post Millennial generations as it is to Gen X and the Baby Boomers.

After all, Gen Y is challenging many ideas in the American workplace that are considered to be sacrosanct by the Baby Boomers, such as long meetings and hierarchy.  Not to mention the dramatic social changes ushered in by Gen Y such as Facebook and smart phones.  Our groups of friends now span the globe and we rarely speak to anyone on the phone – two social changes that have dramatically affected the way Americans live their lives. So would it be any more surprising if Gen Y started to challenge what are considered to be the essential elements of the American Dream?

Interestingly enough a 2011 survey by Xavier University’s Center for the Study of the American Dream found that the top five most important elements of the American Dream are as follows: “a good life for my family”, “financial security”, “freedom”, “opportunity”, and “the pursuit of happiness”.  On the surface these five elements do not seem to challenge the version of the American Dream as Obama depicted it in his State of the Union address.  Though I could not locate a breakdown of this survey data by generation or age groups, it would be interesting to see if there are differences in the rankings according to age group.  Would Gen Y and Baby Boomers have a significantly different order for their top five most important elements of the American Dream?

While we can survey and analyze the current state of the American Dream as well as look back and chart what has become of it over the years, we can only wait and see how current and future generations will come to define it.  Will it continue to look like the American Promise that Obama described last Tuesday?  Or will Gen Y and the Post Millennial Generation take the American Dream in a different direction?  Only time will tell but given the way that Gen Y is already dramatically reshaping the reality of American life I would guess that in another five years we will hear a markedly different version of the American Dream being described during the 2017 State of the Union.

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By admin – January 31, 2012

A Teachable Racial Moment: On Fingers Pointed in Black Faces

Original Blog Post found on: http://phillisremastered.wordpress.com/

January 27, 2012

by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

 

Usually, my blog posts deal with African American community or political issues, and I talk as one cultural insider to another cultural insider.

However, I’ve realized that sometimes, well-meaning, really nice White people (of which there are many, by the way) want Black folks to talk to them in non-angry, non-confrontational, and patient ways about Black cultural issues they don’t understand.

So I wondered if it might be useful for me to write blog posts that break racial things down for good White folks who mean no harm—and who either have Black friends or are in the midst of acquiring friendships with Black people– and are just trying to navigate these racial waters that ironically (and to me, bewilderingly) have become far more treacherous since the election of our first Black president.

Sidebar: I use “race” as a shorthand because that word usually means “Black” or “People of Color” to White people. But really, “race” is not a real, like, biological thing. It does not exist except in people’s minds. What I actually mean when I say “race” is “culture.”

I hadn’t even planned to post again this week, but I’ve noticed the online furor on Black social media concerning Governor Jan Brewer’s pointing her finger very close to President Barack Obama’s face. The response from White folks? Some are upset, but I get the impression they don’t really understand why we African Americans are so troubled. Some of us are even enraged.

So I thought that it might be time to write a Teachable Racial Moment post.

To read the entire blog post click HERE

Posted in Article Spotlight, Diversity.

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By admin – January 30, 2012

Martyrs’ Day India – Mahatma Gandhi – January 30

January 30 – Martyrs’ Day India
Honoring Mahatma Gandhi

Each year on January 30, Mahatma Gandhi is honored throughout India as one of the
Martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the greater good of the country. While there
are multiple dates that recognize individual martyrs, the only date that is recognized
as a national holiday is January 30 and focuses on the legacy of Gandhi. It was on
this day in 1948 that he was gunned down by a Hindu radical named Nathuram
Godse in the streets of New Delhi on his way to a prayer meeting.

Gandhi’s legacy of a non-violent activism began early in his life while spending 21
years in South Africa. Under British control of the country, Gandhi was subjected
to the same treatment as other non-whites, even though he was a member of
the middle class and working as a lawyer at the time. He was heavily involved in
securing rights for Indian workers in South Africa, and led his first non-violent
protest in response to legislative bills that denied Indians the right to vote and
required them to register with the government. While these tactics did not defeat
these legislations outright, they did force a compromise between the people and the
governing elite.

Returning to India in 1915, Gandhi worked hard to bridge the gaps between
religion and castes in order to achieve peace among populations. To him,
everyone was ‘Indian’. Gandhi’s tactics and beliefs were known as ‘Satyagraha,’
meaning ‘holding firmly to the truth,’ and were seen in events such as the “Salt
March” in 1930. The point of this method is to convert your opposition’s beliefs
to your own, so that they are no longer an opponent. During the 200+ mile “Salt
March” towards the sea, Gandhi stopped and gathered crowds to denounce the
imposition of a tax on salt that ordinary Indians could not afford. He garnered
support both locally and internationally for this cause until he was arrested for
illegally producing salt by boiling muddy seawater in a show of non-violent defiance
towards British Rule once he reached his final destination. He would continue to be
in and out of incarceration for many years there after until India finally achieved its
independence on August 15, 1947.

Gandhi is widely credited as the father of India’s freedom after nearly 200 years
of British rule. In his remembrance, the nation pays homage with two minutes
of silence at 11AM local time, while upper members of India’s Parliament and
members of the armed forces place flowers at one of his resting places, and India
Gate, which is dedicated to soldiers who died during WWI and the Afghan wars.
Gandhi’s image can be found in public places throughout the country, with every
village dedicating at least one street to his legacy.

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By admin – January 30, 2012

Remembering the Legacy of Zora Neale Hurston

Tomorrow, Saturday January 28, marks the 52th anniversary of the passing of one of the greatest authors of the Harlem Renaissance period: Zora Neale Hurston. We encourage you to explore her legacy and have provided a little starting point for you with this brief biography on her life and accomplishments. 

Remembering Zora Neale Hurston

(January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960)

Zora Neale Hurston was a prominent writer, folklorist, and anthropologist during the time of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920’s and 30’s. Born in rural Alabama in 1891, Hurston soon moved with her family to Eatonville, Florida; the first all-black town incorporated in the US. She considered this town her home, glorifying it as a place where African Americans could feel free to live as they please in her future novels.

When Hurston’s mother died in 1904, her father and stepmother sent her to boarding school in Jacksonville. However, because the family stopped paying the tuition, she was later expelled from the school. To support herself, Hurston began working as a maid until entering Morgan Academy, the high school division of a historically African American college of the same name. To qualify for a free education, Hurston used 1901 as her date of birth, graduating from high school at the age of 26 in 1918. Hurston would go on to receive her Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology in 1927 from Barnard College as the sole black student at the school.

Hurston came to New York during the 1920s just as the Harlem Renaissance was reaching a peak in its popularity and influence. She would soon become one of the writers at its forefront, with her short story “Spunk” that would go on to be selected for The New Negro, a publication for short literary works in African American culture. Hurston, alongside literary greats such as Langston Hughes and Wallace Thurman, would go on to produce Fire!!, a magazine that featured young talent leading the Harlem Renaissance.

It was not until 1937, however, that Hurston garnered the most attention and controversy for her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, which was written during her anthropological fieldwork in Haiti. The novel, considered her greatest work, exposed readers to phonetical spellings that were more inline with the spoken dialects of the south. Hurston was also keen to uncover the inter-racial tensions between light and dark skinned African-Americans, a taboo subject at the time.

Hurston faded into obscurity in her later years after being falsely accused of some unfortunate misdeeds. It was not until 1975 when an article published by Alice Walker in Ms. Magazine did interest in her work come to the public’s attention. It was only after her death that many of her literary works became frequent in African-American literature programs for their symbolism, artistic style, and early efforts to challenge race and gender roles.

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By admin – January 27, 2012

Article Spotlight: Millenials Want Work-Life Blending (Not Balance)

By Melanie Shreffler

www.Business2Community.com

January 10, 2012

Gen X workers introduced the mantra of work-life balance. They wanted their employers to give them flexibility in their job so they could still devote time to their families and personal wellbeing. Millennials have morphed that idea into work-life blending. Instead of switching between professional mode to personal mode like Gen Xers, Millennials are always in both.

At work, Millennials want to have the freedom to access social networks, take personal calls, chat with friends via IM, use their own tech devices, etc. Outside the office, they’ll take work calls at home, check their work email as often as their personal email (even during off hours), and view coworkers as friends.

This new view of the workplace is reflected in the findings of a new study from Millennial Branding and Identified.com. The survey, which examined the profiles of 4 million (90% American) Millennials’ Facebook pages, found that, on average, Millennials are connected to 16 coworkers on Facebook. “The day is over and they’re still connected to work,” says Dan Schawbel, Founder of Millennial Branding. “They’re negotiating a new employee contract” to incorporate work-life blending.

It could be this demanding attitude that has other generations labeling Millennials as entitled, but they have some leverage to get what they want. They’ll represent three-quarters of the workforce by 2025.

To read more of this article click HERE

Posted in Article Spotlight, Gen Y, Generations.

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By admin – January 26, 2012

Article Spotlight: Coffee company, disability group brew partnership

By Karen Meyer

 

ABC 7 News

Chicago, IL

January 15, 2012

Individuals with disabilities strive to succeed in the workplace. Many organizations seek partnerships with the business community.

A Chicago-area not for profit agency serving children and adults with disabilities and a coffee company have found the perfect blend.

Aspire, a not for profit organization has been around for over 50 years. Metropolis Coffee Company has been owned by the Dreyfuss family for almost 10 years.

Together they inspired each other with the creation of special blends that supports the organization and gives people with disabilities employment opportunities. The second floor of a building in Chicago’s Andersonville community is the home of Metropolis Coffee.

“We source coffee all over the world,” said Jeff Dreyfuss, president and ceo. “I travel there, we buy the best coffee we can find, we roast them to the flavor of the coffee instead of the dark or light. We sell them both resale and wholesale and web sale. And we try to bring communities together.”

His mission is to work with community organizations, so they selected Aspire Coffee Works.

“We began to talk to each other a little over two years ago and it seemed like a great and beautiful challenge not just to teach skills, but maybe if we could integrate people into our own workforce,” Dreyfuss said.

To read more of this article click HERE

Posted in Article Spotlight, Disabilities, Diversity.

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By admin – January 26, 2012

Article Spotlight: Lunar New Year in Pictures

BBC News

News in Pictures

January 22, 2012

Communities around the world are celebrating the Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year.

Click HERE for some visually stunning pictures of this celebration.

Posted in Article Spotlight, Cross-Cultural, Holidays.

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By admin – January 26, 2012