ISSUE 88 | APR 2023

March was a rather ordinary month weather wise in the city. Aside from one major storm that crippled the city for a day, the weather was relatively mild. The clocks were moved forward the 2nd Sunday in March and as a result, we have more daylight during the day and along with that came the start of spring which occurred the 3rd week in March.

As we turn the calendar to April, spring is officially here. With April showers, comes May flowers. With most of the snow already melted, we will get the occasional rare April snowstorm only to have it immediately melt due to warmer temperatures. Seven significant days in April are April Fools, Passover, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Orthodox Easter, Ramadan/EID and Earth Day. April Fool’s Day occurs every year on April 1st. This is a day to play practical jokes and pranks on your friends and family.

Passover, also known as Pesach in Hebrew begins on the 5th (15th of Nisan every year in the Hebrew Calendar) and lasts for eight days ending on April 13th. It is one of the major and most sacred celebrations in Jewish tradition as it commemorates the Israelites' Exodus from Egypt.

Good Friday is April 7th this year and is celebrated on the Friday before Easter and commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is stated in the Bible that Jesus had his last meal, also known as The Last Supper, with his disciples just before the Passover Festival was to be celebrated. The following day Jesus was put on trial, crucified, and buried.

Easter Sunday is a major Christian holiday celebrating Jesus Christ's resurrection three days after his death. In 2023 this will be April the 9th. Orthodox Easter is celebrated at a later date than that observed by western Christianity. This is because the Orthodox Church follows the Julian calendar, as opposed to the Gregorian calendar. Thus, those of the Orthodox faith will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on April 16th, in 2023.

This year, Eid ul Fitr 2023 is expected to be celebrated on Friday, 21st of April 2023, or on Saturday, 22nd of April 2023. However, the exact date is subject to the sighting of the moon of Shawwal, 1444, the 10th month of the Islamic Calendar. Eid ul Fitr, is a religious festival for all Muslims around the world. It marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

It is Allah's reward for believers who fasted during the holy month of Ramadan and for also thanking Allah for giving them the chance and the strength to carry out His commands during the blessed month of Ramadan. Traditionally, Eid al Fitr is celebrated for three days in almost all Muslim countries.

Earth Day is celebrated internationally on April 22. It is a day to educate people about the issues affecting the planet and to raise awareness for and celebrate the efforts in place to protect the environment.

In this issue, you will find contributing articles from many different personalities including the management team of MBE - Mr. Mansoor Naqvi, Mr. Mahmood Naqvi and Mr. Alamdar Hussain.