The Maldivian calendar
Twenty-seven seasons of light.
Two monsoons, twenty-seven named spells of roughly thirteen days. Each page says what the almanac expects of the wind, the sea and the sky, what that means for a ceremony and a dinner, and which of our published projects were produced in it.
The Maldivian year is not four seasons but twenty-seven nakaiy: short spells of about thirteen days, each named for the star that rises with it, grouped under two monsoons. Fishermen and farmers still plan by them. We use them for the same reasons: which way the wind will push the clouds at sunset, whether the lagoon will be glass or chop, and when a covered venue is a real option rather than a courtesy. Find the nakaiy you are travelling in.
Iruvai. The dry north-east monsoon.
Late November to early April. Clear days, calm lagoons and the busiest months on the islands; nine nakaiy.
Hulhangu. The wetter south-west monsoon.
April to late November. Short showers, more shape in the sky and quieter islands; eighteen nakaiy, planned with a covered venue held.
Which season should we choose?
Golden hour in the Maldives explains why the ceremony is timed to a 30-to-40-minute window whatever the month, and How we plan for rain sets out what we hold in Hulhangu and when the decision is made. Between them they answer most of the question; your dates and your island answer the rest.
Project counts show only the one project with a recorded date; the rest of the collection is undated and listed under no season.
Commission a project.
A wedding, a styling brief, a celebration or a conference — tell us the dates, the island and what you have in mind. We reply personally within a day, and hold a proposal for five.
Your planner replies personally — 09:00–21:00 Maldives time.