Waitangi Day is New Zealand’s national day with celebrations
taking place all over the country.  Every year on 6 February, New Zealand marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. In that year, representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Maori chiefs signed what is New Zealand’s founding document. The day was first officially commemorated in 1934, and it has been a public holiday since 1974.  Click the links to see photos of Maori dancers: for more information on Waitangi Day: and information on Maori Culture.

One of the world’s largest Māori ceremonial waka (war canoe), the Ngatokimatawhaorua, can be found at Waitangi. The enormous wooden vessel, with room for 80 paddlers and 55 passengers, is an impressive sight on the water. The 70-year-old waka has been refurbished and relaunched for the 2010 celebrations. See photos of the canoe in action

Today a part of the Muslim world celebrates Milad un Nabi (or Mawlid), the birthday of the Muslim prophet Muhammed. This celebration, 4th of February, is slightly controversial because some Muslims don’t believe that celebrating birthdays is necessary, or even permissible. Despite the divided opinions, however, the majority of Muslims agree that the birth of Muhammed was the most significant event in Islamic history. Thus, those who celebrate it do so with great enthusiasm.

Saudi-Arabia is the only Muslim country where Milad un Nabi is not an official public holiday. In others, Milad un Nabi is sometimes celebrated in a carnival manner.  Streets and mosques are decorated, parents tell their children stories about different aspects of the prophet’s life, and many people donate money, clothes, and food to charity. Milad un Nabi is also celebrated in countries such as India, Indonesia, Russia,Canada, as well as here in the UK.

Every spring, Japan celebrates a day called Setsubun, or better known as Risshun, the bean-throwing festival. 

This year Risshun is celebrated on the 3rd of February. It is traditionally a day that marks the beginning of spring. When celebrated at home, roasted beans are thrown out the door cleansing away any demons from the former year.

While throwing the beans it’s appropriate to chant :

“Demons out, luck in!’

The three Chinese New Year I spent in Hangzhou (three hours’ drive from
Shanghai) have now muddled into one big celebratory memory: into one giant steamed bun, baozi: into one enormous good luck lantern. Chinese New Year, for me, was always a kind of alien Christmas with its red and gold, music and food, cards and gifts. The place in my mind where I most vividly experience the festivities are the streets surrounding Xihu, West Lake near the centre of the town. There, the crisp rattle of fireworks becomes a part of the air that Hangzhou breathes and the booming and cracking doesn’t pause until the two weeks  are over. My most vivid impressions…

Read more.. »

Happy Chinese New Year! This January will be the start
of the Year of the Dragon, as the world welcomes the Chinese New Year. The New Year falls in January due to the track of the new moon, as the Chinese calendar is a mixture of the Gregorian and lunar-solar calendars. Did you know that it’s such an auspicious year that many couples are hoping to have a child born during the Year of the Dragon? Read this full article to get to know many other aspects of the Chinese New Year and see some super pictures.

When you are out and about over the next fifteen days, if you meet
up with a Chinese friend, remember to wish them a Happy New Year. The most common auspicious greetings and sayings consist of four Chinese characters, such as the following:

• Jinyu mangtang – “May your wealth [gold and jade] come to fill a hall”
• Dazhan hongtu – “May you realize your ambitions”
• Yingchun jiefu – “Greet the New Year and encounter happiness”
• Wanshi ruyi – “May all your wishes be fulfilled”
• Jiqing youyu – “May your happiness be without limit”
• Zhubao pingan – “May you hear [in a letter] that all is well”
• Yiban wanli = “May a small investment bring ten-thousandfold profits”
• Fushou shuangquan – “May your happiness and longevity be complete”
• Zhaocai jinbao – “When wealth is acquired, precious objects follow”

See related articles:

The Chinese New Year Explained

The Fifteen Days of the Chinese New Year

Remember these Chinese New Year Sayings to greet your friends with!

Today is Chinese New Year; but unlike many people who celebrate the occasion just over one night the Chinese honour the New Year by welcoming it over fifteen days.

First day–  This is the day for welcoming the deities of heaven and earth. Cleaning is considered bad luck today and meat is not consumed for health reasons. It is also the day when people honour the elders in their family. Money is given in red envelopes from married relatives to single ones, from business managers to their employees and from parents to children.

Tuesday, 29th November marks the International Day of
Solidarity with the Palestinian People. It is the anniversary of the adoption of the UN resolution for the partition of Palestine. The observance of this day encourages Member States to continue to give the widest support and publicity to the observance of the International Day of Solidarity and to continue to seek solutiosn for Israel and Palestine that address the fundamental security concerns of both parties, ‎find a solution to the refugee issue and see Jerusalem emerge from negotiation as the ‎capital of two States.   What does this situation mean to those living it? Read below some insights for Palestinian people…

It’s World Hello Day, so reach out and greet just ten people in the
name of peace. That is the simple message behind World Hello Day. Started in 1973, in response to the conflict between Egypt and Israel, this day is now commemorated in over 180 countries. Taking part couldn’t be easier, but rather than just greet family or friends why not reach out to someone you know in another country and say “hello”? You can do your bit to promote peace all over the world and bridge barriers between different nationalities – you could even learn to say “hello” in a different language!

For World Hello Day why not learn to say “hello” in another language? Listen to this audio and see how many “hellos” you can recognise from the 20 languages you’ll hear.

“Hello” in sign language

“Hello” is signed by moving the hand away from the forehead in a forward and downward motion, similar to a salute.

DBS final composite hello

Have you ever thought about how  television and cultural diversity are closely related? It’s time to think -Today is World Television Day

Television is one of the most powerful communications media in today’s world and brings into people’s living rooms the everyday reality of other’s lives: be it major issues facing mankind, new fashion trends of American youth or the impact of a tsunami in the Philippines. Television  is universal; meaning that, at the very least, television tells us what’s going on in the world as news stations broadcast important alerts about world affairs and conflicts.

But more than that, television helps us learn quickly about different cultures and places that we could not normally travel to, giving us the opportunity to ‘experience’ what life is like as we engage with someone else’s story. Television links countries together via our TV screens. If used properly it can ‘promote mutual understanding and tolerance‘.  That is why the UN General Assembly decided to proclaim 21 November as World Television Day –  recognising the increasing impact television has on decision-making by alerting world attention to conflicts and threats to peace and security and its potential role in sharpening the focus on other major issues, including economic and social issues.