Introduction to International Common Festivals! Quickly understand what international festivals occur each year! Why are there these festivals?

Photo by Levi Guzman on Unsplash

International Festivals

January

Date	Festival	Introduction
1/1	New Year’s Day	The first day of the Gregorian New Year, celebrated worldwide with festivities to welcome the new year
First Sunday of January	Black Day	A holiday established to commemorate and promote equal rights for Black people
Last Sunday of January	International Leprosy Day	Raise awareness about leprosy and eliminate discrimination against leprosy patients

February

Date	Festival	Introduction
2/2	World Wetlands Day	Raise public awareness of the importance of wetland ecosystems and promote wetland protection
2/7	International Day of Solidarity with South Africa	Commemorate the South African anti-apartheid movement and promote racial equality and reconciliation
2/10	International Meteorology Day	Promote understanding of meteorological science and emphasize the importance of meteorological work
2/14	Valentine’s Day	A holiday for lovers to express their affection for each other, originating from Western traditions
2/21	Day of Struggle Against Colonialism	Commemorate the history of countries fighting for independence and oppose colonialism
2/28	Peace Memorial Day (Taiwan)	Commemorate the February 28 Incident and promote ethnic reconciliation and Taiwan’s democratic development
Last day of February	World Habitat Day	Focus on global housing issues and promote improvements in living conditions

March

Date	Festival	Introduction
3/1	International Seal Day	Call for the protection of seals and other marine life, and oppose illegal hunting
3/3	World Hearing Day	Raise awareness of hearing health and prevent hearing loss
3/5	China Youth Volunteer Service Day	Promote the spirit of volunteer service and encourage youth participation in social welfare
3/5-7	Jingzhe (Beating the Little People)	A unique folk activity in Hong Kong symbolizing the expulsion of bad luck and little people
3/8	International Women’s Day	Commemorate the history of women’s struggle for equal rights and promote gender equality
3/12	Arbor Day	Advocate for tree planting and enhance environmental awareness
3/14	International Police Day	Recognize the contributions of police and promote police-community relations
3/14	White Day	A holiday originating from Japan, it is a day for reciprocating gifts from Valentine’s Day
3/15	International Consumer Rights Day	Protect consumer rights and promote consumer protection
3/17	International Maritime Day	Commemorate the development of maritime affairs and recognize maritime workers
3/17	Chinese National Medicine Day	Promote traditional Chinese medicine culture and development
3/21	World Forest Day	Raise global awareness of forest protection
3/21	International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination	Promote racial equality and eliminate all forms of racial discrimination
3/21	World Children’s Song Day	Promote children’s music education and enrich children’s spiritual life
3/21	World Sleep Day	Raise awareness of sleep health
3/22	World Water Day	Emphasize the importance of water resources and promote water resource protection
3/23	World Meteorological Day	Promote the development of meteorological science and enhance disaster prevention and reduction capabilities
3/24	World Tuberculosis Day	Raise awareness of tuberculosis and strengthen prevention and treatment
Last Monday of March	National Safety Education Day for Primary and Secondary School Students (China)	Strengthen students' safety awareness and prevent campus accidents
Last Saturday of March	Earth Hour	A global environmental activity calling for energy conservation and addressing climate change

April

Date	Festival	Introduction
4/1	April Fool’s Day	A traditional Western holiday where people play pranks and jokes on each other
4/2	International Children’s Book Day	Promote children’s reading and cultivate reading interest
4/4	Children’s Day (Taiwan)	Focus on children’s rights and promote healthy growth for children
4/7	World Health Day	Raise awareness of health issues and promote global health development
4/21	Earth Day	Advocate for environmental awareness and protect the Earth’s ecology
4/22	Earth Day	Raise awareness of the importance of protecting the Earth’s environment
4/22	World Law Day	Promote the construction of the rule of law and maintain social fairness and justice
4/23	World Book and Copyright Day	Promote reading culture and protect intellectual property rights
4/24	World Youth Day Against Colonialism	Commemorate the youth anti-colonial movement and maintain national independence
4/24	Asia-Africa Journalists Day	Promote unity and cooperation among Asian and African journalists
4/26	World Intellectual Property Day	Raise awareness of intellectual property protection
4/27	Friendship City Day	Promote friendly exchanges and cooperation between cities
Last Sunday of April	World Children’s Day	Focus on children’s rights and promote children’s welfare
Last Wednesday of April	Secretary’s Day	Thank secretaries for their contributions to work

May

Date	Festival	Introduction
5/1	Labor Day	Commemorate the history of workers fighting for rights and recognize the contributions of laborers
5/3	World Asthma Day	Raise awareness of asthma and improve the quality of life for patients
5/4	May Fourth Youth Day	Commemorate the May Fourth Movement and promote patriotic spirit
5/4	May Fourth Movement	An important patriotic movement in modern Chinese history that promotes democracy and scientific development
5/8	World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day	Commemorate the founder of the Red Cross movement and promote humanitarian spirit
5/8	World Smile Day	Advocate for kindness and happiness, spreading positive energy
5/12	International Nurses Day (Nightingale)	Commemorate Nightingale and recognize the contributions of nurses
5/15	International Day of Families	Emphasize the importance of family and promote family harmony
5/17	World Telecommunication and Information Society Day	Promote the development of communication technology and bridge the digital divide
5/18	International Museum Day	Raise awareness of museums and protect cultural heritage
5/26	World Challenge Day for Human Conditions	Focus on human health and promote the development of sports
5/31	World No Tobacco Day	Raise awareness of the dangers of smoking and promote tobacco control
First Tuesday of May	World Asthma Prevention Day	Strengthen asthma prevention and improve treatment levels
Second Sunday of May	Mother’s Day	Express gratitude to mothers and show love for them
5/22	International Day for Biological Diversity	Promote the protection of biological diversity and maintain ecological balance
Third Sunday of May	National Day for the Disabled (China)	Focus on the disabled community and promote social integration

June

Date	Festival	Introduction
6/1	International Children’s Day	Focus on children’s rights and promote comprehensive development for children
6/1	World Milk Day	Advocate for drinking milk and promote healthy eating
6/5	World Environment Day	Raise environmental awareness and promote environmental protection
6/17	World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought	Focus on desertification issues and promote ecological protection
6/20	World Refugee Day	Focus on refugee issues and provide humanitarian assistance
6/23	International Olympic Day	Promote the Olympic spirit and enhance sports development
6/26	International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking	Raise awareness against drugs and prevent drug harm
6/26	United Nations Charter Day	Commemorate the signing of the United Nations Charter and promote international peace
6/26	Doctor’s Day (China)	Recognize the contributions of doctors and promote doctor-patient relations
6/30	World Youth Festival	Promote exchanges and friendships among youth worldwide
Third Sunday of June	Father’s Day	Express gratitude to fathers and show love for them

July

Date	Festival	Introduction
7/1	Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day	Commemorate Hong Kong’s return and celebrate the implementation of “one country, two systems”
7/1	International Architecture Day	Promote the development of architectural art and improve living environments
7/26	World Esperanto Day	Commemorate the birth of Esperanto and promote international communication
7/30	African Women’s Day	Focus on the rights of African women and promote gender equality
First Saturday of July	International Cooperation Day	Promote international cooperation and maintain world peace

August

Date	Festival	Introduction
8/1	Chinese People’s Liberation Army Day	Commemorate the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and recognize the contributions of soldiers
8/6	International Film Festival	Promote the development of film art and enhance cultural exchanges
8/13	International Left-Handers Day	Focus on the left-handed community and eliminate prejudice and discrimination
August to September	Venice Film Festival	One of the three major film festivals in the world, showcasing outstanding film works

September

Date	Festival	Introduction
9/1	Journalist Day (Hong Kong and Taiwan)	Recognize the contributions of journalists and uphold press freedom
9/3	China Anti-Japanese War Victory Day	Commemorate the victory of the Anti-Japanese War and remember the martyrs
9/8	International Day of Journalists	Recognize journalists and promote the development of journalism
9/8	International Literacy Day	Promote education and eliminate illiteracy
9/10	Teacher’s Day (Hong Kong and Taiwan)	Thank teachers for their contributions and promote respect for teachers
9/14	World Cleanliness Day	Raise awareness of environmental hygiene and promote environmental protection
9/16	International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer	Focus on ozone layer protection and prevent environmental destruction
9/21	International Day of Peace	Promote world peace and oppose war
9/27	World Tourism Day	Promote the development of tourism and enhance cultural exchanges
Fourth Sunday of September	International Day of the Deaf	Focus on the deaf community and promote social integration
Last Sunday of September	World Heart Day	Raise awareness of heart disease prevention
Last Sunday of September	World Maritime Day	Focus on maritime safety and protect the marine environment
9/28	Teacher’s Day (Taiwan)	Thank teachers and promote the dignity of the teaching profession

October

Date	Festival	Introduction
10/1	National Day of the People’s Republic of China	Celebrate the founding of the People’s Republic of China
10/1	International Music Day	Promote music art and enhance cultural exchanges
10/1	International Day of Older Persons	Focus on the rights of older persons and promote elderly care services
10/4	World Animal Day	Advocate for the protection of animals and the ecological environment
10/5	World Teachers' Day	Recognize the contributions of teachers and promote educational development
10/5	World Sight Day	Focus on vision health and prevent eye diseases
10/9	World Post Day (Universal Postal Day)	Commemorate the establishment of the Universal Postal Union and promote postal development
10/10	Xinhai Revolution Memorial Day	Commemorate the Xinhai Revolution and remember the revolutionary martyrs
10/10	World Habitat Day	Raise awareness of living environment hygiene
10/10	World Mental Health Day	Focus on mental health and prevent mental illness
10/13	World Health Day	Promote health care and prevent diseases
10/14	World Standards Day	Promote standardization work and improve product quality
10/15	International Day of Persons with Disabilities	Focus on the visually impaired community and promote social integration
10/16	World Food Day	Focus on food security and eliminate hunger
10/17	International Day for the Eradication of Poverty	Focus on poverty issues and promote poverty alleviation
10/22	World Traditional Medicine Day	Promote traditional medicine and enhance medical development
10/24	United Nations Day	Commemorate the founding of the United Nations and promote international cooperation
10/24	World Development Information Day	Promote the development of information technology and bridge the digital divide
10/31	World Savings Day	Advocate for saving awareness and oppose waste
Second Wednesday of October	International Day for Disaster Reduction	Raise awareness of disaster prevention and strengthen disaster preparedness

November

Date	Festival	Introduction
11/2	All Souls' Day	Commemorate deceased loved ones and express condolences
11/8	Journalist Day (China)	Recognize journalists and promote the development of journalism
11/10	World Youth Day	Focus on youth development and promote youth exchanges
11/12	Doctor’s Day and National Father of the Nation’s Birthday (Taiwan)	Commemorate Sun Yat-sen’s birthday and recognize the contributions of doctors
11/14	World Diabetes Day	Raise awareness of diabetes prevention and improve patients' lives
11/17	International Students' Day (World Students' Day)	Promote international student exchanges and uphold student rights
11/21	World Television Day	Promote the development of television media and enhance cultural communication
11/21	World Hello Day	Advocate for friendly interactions and promote interpersonal relationships
11/22	Thanksgiving Day	Express gratitude and promote family reunions

December

Date	Festival	Introduction
12/1	World AIDS Day	Raise awareness of AIDS prevention and care for patients
12/2	International Day for the Abolition of Slavery	Commemorate the abolition of slavery and uphold human rights
12/3	International Day of Persons with Disabilities	Focus on the rights of persons with disabilities and promote social integration
12/5	International Volunteer Day	Recognize the contributions of volunteers and promote the spirit of volunteering
12/5	World Day of the Disabled	Focus on vulnerable groups and promote equal development
12/7	International Civil Aviation Day	Promote the development of civil aviation and ensure aviation safety
12/8	Feast of the Immaculate Conception	An important Catholic holiday commemorating the Virgin Mary
12/9	December 9th Movement	Commemorate the patriotic student movement and promote patriotic spirit
12/9	World Football Day	Promote football and enhance sports development
12/10	International Human Rights Day	Uphold human rights and promote social fairness and justice
12/12	Xi’an Incident	Commemorate a historical event and promote national unity
12/13	Nanjing Massacre	Commemorate a historical tragedy and warn of the importance of peace
12/15	World Immunization Day	Raise awareness of immunization and prevent diseases
12/20	Macao Special Administrative Region Establishment Day	Commemorate Macao’s return and celebrate the implementation of “one country, two systems”
12/21	International Basketball Day	Promote basketball and enhance sports development
12/24	Christmas Eve	The night before Christmas, celebrating the birth of Jesus
12/25	Christmas	Commemorate the birth of Jesus, an important Western holiday
Second Sunday of December	International Children’s Television Day	Promote the production of children’s programs and enrich children’s spiritual life

Reference

中國傳統節日