CultureWizard Viewpoint: March Edition
Ramadan & Eid Ul-Fitr: A Sweet Celebration
Muslims around the world fast from pre-dawn to sunset during this holy month, and avoid negative actions such as gossiping, lying, or arguing. The traditions?of Ramadan demonstrate a devotion to God through discipline, self-restraint, and a?moral duty for goodwill among fellow human beings. Truly a communal celebration, many mosques host daily dinners where local Muslims can break their fast together.?
Eid ul-Fitr is expected to take place on March 30-31 this year, depending on the lunar cycle. Families and communities break their Ramadan fast, exchange cheerful greetings of, “Eid Mubarak!” and gather for communal feasts. Eid ul-Fitr is also known as Sweet Eid or Sugar Feast, due to the abundance of sweet dishes with local origins: Muslims from South and Central Asia may eat sweet pasta and date pudding. Those with North African heritage may eat couscous and honey pudding. Those from Indonesia may eat a multi-layered cake spiced with cinnamon, clove, and anise. This season is a joyful reminder of family, community, and the cultural diversity within global Muslim communities.?
International Women’s Day: The Goal of Parity
International Women's Day on March 8th each year celebrates the social, economic, and political achievements of women around the world. The day also brings international awareness to gender parity. According to the World Economic Forum, global gender equality is estimated to be achieved by 2133.
International Women's Day is an official holiday in many countries worldwide, including Afghanistan, Belarus, Cambodia, Cuba, Georgia, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Spain, and Uruguay. Other countries and major cities use this day to protest for further gender equality in their local societies. The official colors of International Women’s Day are purple, which signifies justice, green, which symbolizes hope, and white, which symbolizes purity.
International Clients’ Day: A Corporate Day of Thanks
Every year on March 19th, International Clients' Day provides an opportunity for company owners and managers to celebrate their clients. It’s also a day to recognize the importance of retaining loyal clients by offering discounts, special offers, and other kinds of gifts. Remember, client gift-giving is largely dependent on cultural context. In the Gulf region, as well as some countries in East and South Asia, gifts are seen as common courtesy, so long as taboos are avoided. Regardless of where you are in the world, this unofficial holiday is a great reminder to always show heartfelt appreciation for our clients through authentic communication and reliable client service.?
International Transgender Day of Visibility: Global Recognition and Support
International Transgender Day of Visibility is on March 31st. This day recognizes the accomplishments and continued fight for rights of transgender and non-binary people.?
The Rainbow Map ranked 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people last year, which you can find here. Malta and Iceland ranked as the top two LGBTI-friendly countries in Europe. Trans rights organization, TGEU (Trans Europe and Central Asia) recently praised Greece for improving their anti-discrimination laws to protect trans people, as well as?Czechia for a new law protecting asylum seekers on grounds of gender identity.?
However despite?an overall positive trend of progress globally, countries such as Hungary, Russia and, more recently, the United States are upholding regressive policies that fail to uphold the dignity of trans people. We encourage you to take this day to share trans and non-binary stories and to support the trans community in their commitment to a more equitable society.?