Chinese New Year's Eve
On Chinese New Years Eve, families will start to gather and many stay up all until midnight. At midnight, it is common to hear firecrackers and fireworks being lit to bring in the new year. (although they are illegal in urban areas.) Some families may stay up all night playing cards or MaJiang. Others will prepare for a big feast the next day.
Founding Day of the Vietnamese Communist party (1930)
The Vietnamese Communist Party (Việt Nam Cộng sản Đảng) was founded on 3 February 1930 by uniting the Communist Party of Indochina (despite its name, this party was active only in Tonkin) and Communist Party of Annam (active only in Cochinchina). Thereafter, the Communist League of Indochina (active only in central Annam) joined the Vietnamese Communist Party. The Comintern, however, argued that the communist movement should be promoted in the whole of French Indochina (including Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam) rather than only in Vietnam. Therefore, it urged the Vietnamese Communist Party to transform itself into the Indochinese Communist Party.
2019 Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL). The game is the culmination of a regular season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. Normally, Roman numerals are used to identify each game, rather than the year in which it is held.
World Wetlands Day
2 February each year is World Wetlands Day to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and our planet. This day also marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Wetlands are land areas that are saturated or flooded with water either permanently or seasonally. Inland wetlands include marshes, ponds, lakes, fens, rivers, floodplains, and swamps. Coastal wetlands include saltwater marshes, estuaries, mangroves, lagoons and even coral reefs. Fish ponds, rice paddies, and salt pans are human-made wetlands.
Sydney 7s
Sydney 7s, secured by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW is the ultimate weekend experience. Three days of high energy entertainment, live music and amazing rugby that is unrivalled in any sporting arena
Federal Territory Day (Malaysia)
Federal Territory Day commemorates the day in 1974 when Kuala Lumpur was transferred to federal control.
i Light Singapore
Held from 28 January to 24 February 2019, this special edition of I Light Singapore (rebranded from i Light Marina Bay) will kick off the Singapore Bicentennial commemoration and showcase light art installations across Marina Bay, Singapore River and the Civic District. In commemoration of Singapore’s Bicentennial, the theme of this special edition of i Light Singapore, Bridges of Time, looks beyond the contacts in history to delve deeper into the topic of connectivity. The theme questions two forms of connectivity; the tangible - bridge - and the intangible - time, and their interactions.
Official launch ceremony of Singapore Bicentennial Celebration
The year 2019 will mark 200 years of history for Singapore, and a slew of events have been lined up to commemorate the nation’s bicentennial milestone. Announced by the Singapore Bicentennial Office (SBO) on April 9, 2018 Singapore Bicentennial in 2019 will provide Singaporeans the chance to reflect on the 200th anniversary of Sir Stamford Raffles’ arrival in Singapore in 1819, which was one of the “key turning points” that changed Singapore’s trajectory. Sir Stamford Raffles landed in Singapore on 29 January 1819. He anchored at St John’s Island on 28 January 1819 before setting foot on Singapore island the next day. The site on the Singapore mainland where Raffles landed is today marked with the statue of Raffles, which is located by the Singapore River behind Parliament House.
International Customs Day
Annually held on January 26, International Customs Day (ICD) recognizes the role of custom officials and agencies in maintaining border security. It focuses on the working conditions and challenges that customs officers face in their jobs.
Australia Day
Australia Day commemorates the establishment of the first European settlement at Port Jackson, now part of Sydney, in 1788. It is an opportunity for Australians to come together to celebrate their country and culture. There are reflections on the achievements of the nation and explorations of way to make the country even better in the future.
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting is the only yearly gathering that brings together leaders of global society. The heads and members of more than 100 governments, top executives of the 1,000 foremost global companies, leaders of international organizations and relevant non-governmental organizations, the most prominent cultural, societal and thought leaders, and the disruptive voices of the Forum’s Young Global Leaders, Global Shapers and Technology Pioneers come together at the beginning of each year to define priorities and shape global, industry and regional agendas. Participation is by invitation only and reserved for members of the Forum’s communities. The ongoing close collaboration with those communities in cooperation with a Network of Global Future Councils ensures the solution-oriented substance of the Annual Meeting. Numerous initiatives of global importance have been launched in Davos. The World Economic Forum is an independent and impartial International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. Its objective is to improve the state of the world. It does not promote any political, commercial or personal interests, nor does it use the names of its participants for promotional purposes. The Annual Meeting aims to be open and inclusive. Transparency and public inclusion are achieved through broad international media participation, televised sessions and webcasts, and through the Forum’s millions of followers social media. The Annual Meeting achieves the greatest media impact compared to any annual event outside the world of sport.
World Youth Day
An outside glance of an international World Youth Day would spark a bystander’s curiosity as massive crowds of young people flood the city streets. Some might cringe at the thought of those words, wondering what delinquency is in store, but to witness this gathering would end those fears. The happenstance observer would witness not angst and malice, but smiles and joy, singing and dancing young people, culture upon culture and nation upon nation, proudly holding their flags high (or wearing them), greeting one another in peace, trading their tokens, humbly realizing how small they are in a world of people, and strengthened to witness so many who share their convictions. How did it all begin?
Thaipusam (Malaysia)
In Malaysia, Thaipusam is an annual Hindu festival celebrated with a colourful procession and compelling rituals, mainly taking place in Batu Caves. Celebrated by the country's Tamil Indian community, the Hindu devotees prepare themselves by piercing hooks and skewers through their bodies to showcase devotion to the deity Lord Murugan. This also makes Thaipusam one of the best times to visit Batu Caves.
Singapore Art Week
A joint initiative by the National Arts Council, the Singapore Tourism Board and the Singapore Economic Development Board, Singapore Art Week reinforces Singapore’s position as Asia’s leading arts destination. In its sixth edition in 2018, the twelve-day celebration of the visual arts will be taking place in venues across Singapore, from galleries and museums to art precincts and non-profit spaces.
Taipei Dangdai
Taipei Dangdai is a new international art fair taking place from 18-20 January 2019 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. The Fair will bring together 90 of the leading galleries from Taiwan, Asia and the Rest of the World; selected by peer review through a Selection Committee of international gallerists.
Coming of age Day (Japan)
The Coming of Age festival (Seijin no Hi) is celebrated on the second Monday in January. Until 1999, it used to be celebrated on 15 January.The day honors young Japanese who will reach the age of 20 at any point during the year. Twenty is the age of majority in Japan, and people who have reached this age gain the right to vote in elections as well as to drink.
Laba Festival
Falling on the eighth day of the 12th lunar month, Laba Festival was originally an occasion for people to give sacrifices to their ancestors, and to pray to heaven and earth for a good harvest and good luck for the family. Many years later, it has become a Laba Congee eating event - a porridge that contains different types of rice, beans, dried nuts, bean curd, and meat. The 12th lunar month is called 'La' in Chinese and eight is pronounced 'ba', which is how the name 'Laba' was derived. It is not only regarded as a day of sacrifice, but also the day on which Sakyamuni (founder of Buddhism) realized truth and became a Buddha.
Sydney Festival
"Every January, Sydney Festival enlivens and transforms Sydney with a bold cultural celebration based on big ideas and cutting-edge art and performance. The program is kaleidoscopic in its diversity, from jaw-dropping contemporary ballet to epic art installations, international theatre hits, primal circus, immersive virtual reality, modern Indigenous art and theatre, punk protest music and more. Inclusive programming, a broad range of free events and accessible pricing policies for the ticketed shows means that Sydney Festival is open to all, welcoming Sydneysiders and visitors from wherever they live."
Feast of the Black Nazarene
This feast is celebrated at the heart of Manila- Quiapo. Devotees come from all over the metropolis to participate in this annual event honoring the hundred-year-old statue of the Black Nazarene.
International Consumer Electronic Show
CES is the world's gathering place for all those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years — the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. CES showcases more than 4,500 exhibiting companies, including manufacturers, developers and suppliers of consumer technology hardware, content, technology delivery systems and more; a conference program with more than 250 conference sessions and more than 180K attendees from 150 countries. And because it is owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ — the technology trade association representing the $292 billion U.S. consumer technology industry — it attracts the world’s business leaders and pioneering thinkers to a forum where the industry’s most relevant issues are addressed.