Sydney International Tennis
Sydney International Tennis is one of the oldest tournaments in the world. This famous event is held at the state-of-the-art Sydney Olympic Park Tennis centre.
Dakar Rally
The adventure began back in 1977, when Thierry Sabine got lost on his motorbike in the Libyan desert during the Abidjan-Nice Rally. Saved from the sands in extremis, he returned to France still in thrall to this landscape and promising himself he would share his fascination with as many people as possible. He proceeded to come up with a route starting in Europe, continuing to Algiers and crossing Agadez before eventually finishing at Dakar. The founder coined a motto for his inspiration: "A challenge for those who go. A dream for those who stay behind." Courtesy of his great conviction and that modicum of madness peculiar to all great ideas, the plan quickly became a reality. Since then, the Paris-Dakar, a unique event sparked by the spirit of adventure, open to all riders and carrying a message of friendship between all men, has never failed to challenge, surprise and excite. Over the course of almost thirty years, it has generated innumerable sporting and human stories.
AFC Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is an international association football tournament run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It is the second oldest continental football championship in the world after Copa América. The winning team becomes the champion of Asia and qualifies for the FIFA Confederations Cup. The Asian Cup was held once every four years from the 1956 edition in Hong Kong until the 2004 tournament in China. However, since the Summer Olympic Games and the European Football Championship were also scheduled in the same year as the Asian Cup, the AFC decided to move their championship to a less crowded cycle. After 2004, the tournament was next held in 2007 when it was co-hosted by four nations: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Thereafter, it has been held every four years.
World Braille Day
World Braille Day is celebrated every year on 4th January around the world to commemorate the birthday of Louis Braille. Louis Braille is credited with inventing the Braille language which helps blind people to read as well as write.
Founding Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
1 January is Republic Day to commemorate the founding of the Republic of China in 1912 after the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty by the Wuchang Uprising. The holiday’s full name is “Founding of the Republic of China” day.
New Year
New Year’s Day, which is on January 1, marks the start of the year in the Gregorian calendar and it's a public holiday in many countries.
Rizal Day (Philippines)
Dr. José Rizal, the Philippines’ National Hero, is celebrated on his namesake day on the 30th of December. The first president of the Philippines, Emilio Aguinaldo, commemorated the first Rizal Day in 1898.Born on June 19, 1861, José Rizal is considered as the one of the greatest heroes in Philippine history, and is credited as starting the Philippine revolution against the Spanish colonisers. Rizal, a man of many talents, was notably a ophthalmologist and a novelist. Subsequently, he was arrested for treason and for being associated with the revolutionary forces (although he did not take part in any type of warfare). He was convicted on the grounds of rebellion, sedition and conspiring against the government, and was sentenced to execution by a firing squad on December 30, 1896. His death was the last straw for the Filipinos and thus began the end for the Spanish colonisers. Rizal Day is celebrated on December 30, the day when he was executed by the Spanish government.
Indian Ocean Tsunami Anniversary
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake occurred on 26 December with the epicenter off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The shock had a moment magnitude of 9.1–9.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). The undersea megathrust earthquake was caused when the Indian Plate was subducted by the Burma Plate and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing 230,000 people in 14 countries, and inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 meters (100 ft) high. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Indonesia was the hardest-hit country, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a holiday traditionally celebrated the day following Christmas Day, when servants and tradesmen would receive gifts, known as a "Christmas box", from their bosses or employers, in the United Kingdom, Barbados, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, Bermuda, New Zealand, Kenya, South Africa, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and other former British colonies. Today, Boxing Day is the bank holiday that generally takes place on 26 December.
Christmas Day
Christmas Day is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. Only a small fragment of the population of most countries in Asia are Christians, and their Xmas celebrations only take the form of church services and are sometimes overrun by secular New Year celebrations. In India, Christmas is a state holiday due to British influences and because of mid-academic year vacations. The active Western media is slowly introducing secular Christmas celebrations with commercial activities. South Korea has a public set of the Christmas traditions of Asia because it is recognized as a public holiday. Thus, some non-Christian Koreans sometimes engage in gift-giving, Christmas cards and trees because children enjoy Santa Haraboji or Grandfather Santa, their version of Santa Claus. The Christians carol after Xmas Eve services among their church members. The commercial influence is strong in Japan and the Japanese enjoy the secular celebrations of Christmas, second only to New Year’s Day which is a sacred holiday. Xmas is more of a time for lovers who exchange gifts and go on special dates. There are, however, sincere Christians who celebrate Christmas from the religious viewpoint. In Muslim countries, no Christmas traditions of Asia are celebrated except in some countries who allow Christians to celebrate and even recognize Xmas as a public holiday, such as in Jordan. In Malaysia, although Christmas is a public holiday, there is an unofficial ban on Christian religious motif, so the celebration is purely secular. In China and Taiwan, Christmas is a private celebration. But in Hong Kong and Macao, December 25 is a public holiday by western influence expanded lately by commercial inroads into the culture. The Philippines, however, celebrate the longest Christmas traditions of Asia due to its Spanish influence. The advent of Christmas in this country is ushered by dawn masses. The Christmas feast is celebrated after the midnight mass on Xmas eve.
Constitution day (Taiwan)
Constitution Day is celebrated every year in Taiwan on December 25 to remember a day of special significance to the whole nation, the official enactment of constitutional law.
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.[4] Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation of Christmas Day. Together, both days are considered one of the most culturally significant celebrations in Christendom and Western society.
The Emperor’s Birthday (Japan)
The Emperor’s Birthday is a national holiday in Japan and is celebrated on the day of birth of the current emperor. Currently it’s celebrated on December 23, the birthday of Emperor Akihito, who was born in 1933. There are public celebratory ceremonies organized at the Imperial Palace. The Emperor’s Birthday is one of only two days during the year that the Imperial Palace is open to the public, the other being January 2. The emperor and empress, as well as other members of the royal family, appear at the balcony of the palace to welcome all those that come to the celebrations. Everyone that gathers in the palace greets the emperor with Japanese flags and cheers of banzai. Since there are many visitors during this time, visitors may be placed in groups before entering the palace grounds. The emperor and empress will then greet each group as they enter and leave the grounds.
International Human Solidarity Day
Solidarity is identified in the Millennium Declaration as one of the fundamental values of international relations in the 21st Century, wherein those who either suffer or benefit least deserve help from those who benefit most. Consequently, in the context of globalization and the challenge of growing inequality, strengthening of international solidarity is indispensable. Therefore, the UN General Assembly, convinced that the promotion of the culture of solidarity and the spirit of sharing is important for combating poverty, proclaimed 20 of December as International Human Solidarity Day. Through initiatives such as the establishment of the World Solidarity Fund to eradicate poverty and the proclamation of International Human Solidarity Day, the concept of solidarity was promoted as crucial in the fight against poverty and in the involvement of all relevant stakeholders.
Nanjing Massacre Anniversary (China)
In late 1937, over a period of six weeks, Imperial Japanese Army forces brutally murdered hundreds of thousands of people–including both soldiers and civilians–in the Chinese city of Nanking (or Nanjing). The horrific events are known as the Nanking Massacre or the Rape of Nanking, as between 20,000 and 80,000 women were sexually assaulted. Nanking, then the capital of Nationalist China, was left in ruins, and it would take decades for the city and its citizens to recover from the savage attacks.
International Mountain Day
International Mountain Day has its roots in 1992, when the adoption of Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 “Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development” at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development put a milestone in the history of mountain development. The increasing attention to the importance of mountains led the UN General Assembly to declare 2002 the UN International Year of Mountains. On this occasion, the UN General Assembly has designated 11 December, from 2003 onwards, as “International Mountain Day”. FAO is the coordinating agency for the coordinating this celebration (IMD) and is mandated to lead observance of it at the global level. The Water and Mountains Team of the Forestry Department is responsible for coordinating this international process.
Human Rights Day
Human Rights Day is celebrated annually across the world on 10 December every year. The date was chosen to honour the United Nations General Assembly's adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global enunciation of human rights and one of the first major achievements of the new United Nations.
Constitution Day (Thailand)
December 10 marks the Constitution Day which is held annually to commemorate the advent of the regime of Constitutional Monarchy in Thailand. Portraits of Thai kings are prominently displayed throughout the kingdom. On Constitution Day, the entire nation is filled with festivities. The government offices, private buildings and most skyscrapers are decorated with national flags and bunting and are brightly illuminated. On this day, all Thai citizens jointly express their gratitude to the king who graciously granted them an opportunity to take part in governing the country. Dec 12 is a holiday as an observance.
International Anti-Corruption Day
On 31 October 2003, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Corruption and requested that the Secretary-General designate the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as secretariat for the Convention’s Conference of States Parties (resolution 58/4). The Assembly also designated 9 December as International Anti-Corruption Day, to raise awareness of corruption and of the role of the Convention in combating and preventing it. The Convention entered into force in December 2005.
International Civil Aviation Day
International Civil Aviation Day was established in 1994 as part of ICAO’s 50th anniversary activities. In 1996, pursuant to an ICAO initiative and with the assistance of the Canadian Government, the United Nations General Assembly officially recognized 7 December as International Civil Aviation Day in the UN system. The purpose of International Civil Aviation Day is to help generate and reinforce worldwide awareness of the importance of international civil aviation to the social and economic development of States, and of the unique role of ICAO in helping States to cooperate and realize a truly global rapid transit network at the service of all mankind.