International Mother Language Day
The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh. It was approved at the 1999 UNESCO General Conference and has been observed throughout the world since 2000. In Bangladesh the 21 February is the anniversary of the day when Bangladeshis fought for recognition for the Bangla language. UNESCO believes in the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity for sustainable societies. It is within its mandate for peace that it works to preserve the differences in cultures and languages that foster tolerance and respect for others. Every two weeks a language disappears taking with it an entire cultural and intellectual heritage. Linguistic diversity (link is external) is increasingly threatened as more and more languages disappear. Globally 40 per cent of the population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand. Nevertheless, progress is being made in mother tongue-based multilingual education with growing understanding of its importance, particularly in early schooling, and more commitment to its development in public life. Multilingual and multicultural societies exist through their languages which transmit and preserve traditional knowledge and cultures in a sustainable way.
Makha Bucha Day (Thailand)
Makha Bucha Day is a national Holiday in Thailand. The date depends on Lunar cycle. The holiday may also be known as Magha Puja
Lantern Festival
The 15th day of the 1st lunar month is the Chinese Lantern Festival because the first lunar month is called yuan-month and in the ancient times people called night Xiao. The 15th day is the first night to see a full moon. So the day is also called Yuan Xiao Festival in China. According to the Chinese tradition, at the very beginning of a new year, when there is a bright full moon hanging in the sky, there should be thousands of colorful lanterns hung out for people to appreciate. At this time, people will try to solve the puzzles on the lanterns and eat yuanxiao (glutinous rice ball) and get all their families united in the joyful atmosphere.
Cap Go Meh Festival
Cap Go Meh festival marks the last day of the Chinese New Year or Imlek. The festival means "the 15th night", hence, it is celebrated 15 days after Imlek, when the full moon will be at its brightest. Chinese descendants all over the world, including Chinese-Indonesian, celebrate this day with vibrant festivals.
Perfume Pagoda Festival (Vietnam)
"The Perfume Pagoda is Vietnam's most famous Buddhist pilgrimage site, welcoming hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who arrive at the sacred cave to pray for a happy and prosperous year ahead. This stream of pilgrims reaches its peak at the Perfume Pagoda Festival - devotees travel through a picturesque gauntlet to the sacred caves, first boarding boats that pass a landscape of rice paddies and limestone mountains, then going by foot past historical shrines and up hundreds of stone steps."
Hong Kong Marathon 2019
The Hong Kong Marathon, sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank, is an annual marathon race held in February or March in Hong Kong. It has become a signature international sporting event in Hong Kong and is recognised as a ‘Brand Hong Kong Event’ by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
Total Defence Day
Total Defence Day is marked annually on 16 February in Singapore to commemorate the anniversary of the surrender of the British to the Japanese on February 15, 1942, precursoring 3 years and 6 months of Japanese Occupation.
Masters of Hong Kong
During the three days of the event, you will get to experience exceptional, exhilarating, world-class innovative show-jumping competitions while also enjoying various social events — a true feast for the senses through art, food, culture, cinema and entertainment. Discover the passionate world of equestrian sport!
Chingay Parade
The Chingay Parade is a raucous display of Singapore’s multicultural heritage at its most vibrant. this wondrous event brings together people and performances from across the spectrum of Singaporean culture; celebrated by Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians alike. It is the largest street performance and float parade in Asia.
NBA All-star 2019
The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA), matching a mix of the league's star players, who are drafted by the two players with the most votes. Each team consists of 12 players, making it 24 in total. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend. NBA All-Star Weekend is a three-day event which goes from Friday to Sunday. The All-Star Game was first played at the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951.
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day, also known as Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is a celebration observed on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it is not a public holiday in most of them.
Sydney Mardi Gras
Sydney Mardi Gras is the world's most joyous and spectacular celebration of LGBTQI pride. Sydney Mardi Gras attracts over 20,000 interstate and international visitors each year, who enjoy a diverse and exciting line-up of events as well as soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the iconic surroundings of Sydney and New South Wales.
World Radio Day
Radio is the mass medium reaching the widest audience in the world. It is also recognized as a powerful communication tool and a low cost medium. Radio is specifically suited to reach remote communities and vulnerable people: the illiterate, the disabled, women, youth and the poor, while offering a platform to intervene in the public debate, irrespective of people’s educational level. Furthermore, radio has a strong and specific role in emergency communication and disaster relief. There is also a changing face to radio services which, in the present times of media convergence, are taking up new technological forms, such as broadband, mobiles and tablets. Radio is still the most dynamic, reactive and engaging medium there is, adapting to 21st century changes and offering new ways to interact and participate. Where social media and audience fragmentation can put us in media bubbles of like-minded people, radio is uniquely positioned to bring communities together and foster positive dialogue for change. By listening to its audiences and responding to their needs, radio provides the diversity of views and voices needed to address the challenges we all face.
National Foundation Day (Japan)
11 February is National Foundation Day, a national holiday for Japanese people to remind themselves of the nation's founding and foster their love for the nation. It marks the traditional date on which according to legend Emperor Jimmu founded Japan in 660 BC. It was at this time that the day of the enthronement of Emperor Jinmu, the first Japanese emperor, was made a national holiday and named Kigen-setsu. 11 February 660 BC was determined as the day of enthronement by calculating the date in the solar calendar corresponding to the date recorded in the Chronicles of Japan, Japan's first history compiled on imperial orders.
61st Annual Grammy Awards
A Grammy Award (stylized as GRAMMY, originally called Gramophone Award), or Grammy, is an award presented by The Recording Academy to recognize achievements in the music industry. The annual presentation ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and the presentation of those awards that have a more popular interest. It shares recognition of the music industry as that of the other performance awards such as the Academy Awards (film), the Emmy Awards (television), and the Tony Awards (theater). The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4, 1959, to honor and respect the musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1958. Following the 2011 ceremony, the Academy overhauled many Grammy Award categories for 2012.
Indonesia's National Press Day
It celebrates the anniversary of PWI, the Indonesian Journalists Association
Chinese New Year and Holiday
Chinese New Year is the first day of the New Year in the Chinese calendar, which differs from the Gregorian calendar. It is also known as the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year. Every year is represented by a zodiac animal sign.
Tet's Eve, Tet Nguyen Dan and Holiday (Vietnam)
Tet is Vietnamese Lunar New Year in Vietnam and is the most important festival and public holiday in the country.An example of Tet being the definitive Vietnamese holiday is that 'Tet' itself means 'festival' and is the shortened version of 'Tết Nguyên Đán', which is Sino-Vietnamese for 'Feast of the First Morning of the First Day'.
World Cancer Day
Each year on 4 February, WHO and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) supports Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to promote ways to ease the global burden of cancer.
Seollal and holiday (South Korea)
In South Korea, Seollal is one of the largest holidays of the year. Seollal celebrates the lunar New Year. The primary purpose of Seollal is to pay respect to ancestors, but it has also become a mechanism of keeping families together. As parents and siblings drift apart due to work, school, marriage, and other obligations, Seollal brings the family back together for a time of respect of happiness. The people of South Korea often receive time off to celebrate the five-day holiday. During this time, people will spend happy moments with their relatives while they rest for the New Year.