Written by Mai Hegazy, CAI’s Manager of Global Destination Services Each year on the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar, millions of Muslims flock from all over the globe to Mecca, Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj (Islamic pilgrimage), one of the largest religious gatherings around the world. Hajj is one of the five main […]
Holidays and Traditions
Ten Ways to Observe Memorial Day While Social Distancing
Memorial Day is an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May, to honor the heroic men and women who died in service to the United States. Originally known as Decoration Day, the holiday was coined in the years following the Civil War, and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Traditionally, Americans celebrate Memorial Day by […]
Ramadan Mubarak from our CAI Family
The Holy month of Ramadan is observed by about 1.6 billion Muslims all over the world. Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar and is a very special time in Islam. The holy book of Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) during the month of Ramadan, hence the month is known […]
Lunar New Year Part Three: Trainer Traditions
The spring cleaning is complete and red packets handed out. Several more of our intercultural trainers shared with us the way in which they prepare for and celebrate the Lunar New Year now that it is here! In our final blog post of our 2020 Lunar New Year series, read about the traditions of some […]
Lunar New Year Part Two: Red Packets
Happy Lunar New Year 2020! A vital part of Lunar New Year celebrations is the preparing and gifting of red packets. Also known as red envelopes, lai see (Cantonese), or hongbao (Mandarin), these red packets usually contain money and are given to the important people in one’s life before the New Year begins. In the […]
Lunar New Year Part One: A Week in the Life- Preparing for Lunar New Year in Singapore
Happy Lunar New Year 2020! Lunar New will begin on January 25, 2020. This year, we approached several of our intercultural trainers across Asia to understand what the Lunar New Year looks like from their personal perspective. For the first of the series, take a look into how one of CAI’s intercultural facilitators in Singapore, […]