Celebrations for Chinese New Year are over but this month, once again, there will be fireworks in countries across the globe.

Twelve countries are celebrating their Independence Days:

Sri Lanka (Feb 4th), New Zealand (Feb 6th), Grenada (Feb 7th), Iran (Feb 11th), Lithuania (Feb 16th), The Gambia (Feb 18th), Saint Lucia (Feb 22nd), Estonia (Feb 24th), Kuwait (Feb 25th), Dominican Republic (Feb 27th), and this month’s youngest country, Kosovo (Feb 17th).

Happy Independence Days to you all!

See Also:

Independence Days for January

Independence Days in November

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

Australia and New Zealand follow western business practices,
place heavy emphasis on individuality and adhere to the ‘norms’ of British business. People speak of Australia as being very ‘out going’ and relaxed, whilst New Zealand is seen as being rather like Britain was twenty years ago. Few Aussies/New Zealanders people speak any other language than English though there is a large East Asian immigrant community in Australia.In terms of language, aA very distinct accent and slang has developed ‘down under’ which can be difficult for non-native speakers of English, used to American T.V., to understand. Best times to visit on business are February to May or October to November.

In this section you’ll find the  Top Ten Tips for doing business, along with opening times, holiday dates and festivities for Australia and New Zealand