NEW YEAR DAYThe greatest occasion for making parties is the night of December 31, called New Year's Eve. At midnight we wish each other “Happy New Year”. Parties, champagne and fireworks are common around the Globe.It is also customary to make New Year's resolutions which we hope to fulfil in the coming year, for exemple to become better, skinnier, more fit, more patient, and smoke-free. The New Year's Day Parade takes place annually on 1 January through the streets of London.New Year’s day is a bank holiday.

VALENTINE’S DAY

St. Valentine's Day falls on February 14. It is the traditional day on which lovers let each other know about their love, commonly by sending Valentine's cards, which are often anonymous. The word "Valentine" has two meanings. It can mean a card to a sweetheart on Saint Valentine's Day. It can also indicate a person chosen to receive a greeting on Saint Valentine's Day. It is estimated that, world-wide, approximately one billion valentine cards are sent each year. Women buy approximately 85 percent of all valentines. (What a pity for us girls! )

MARDI GRAS – SHROVE TUESDAYIn America "Mardi Gras" is the day before Ash Wednesday and the final day of Carnival. The English used to call it Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. An occasion of great festivity, this wonderful holiday is celebrated in many countries with carnivals, masquerade balls and parades of costumed merrymakers.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

March 8th - International's Women's Day 8 March is the occasion to celebrate womanhood. It is the global day connecting all women around the world and inspiring them to achieve their full potential. Though such a cause cannot be confined to a single day, yet, the importance of this day shouldn’t be undermined.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY

One of the greatest Irish festivals, St. Patrick's Day or Paddy's Day commemorates the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland but it’s also celebrated with much enthusiasm in Canada, Great Britain, Australia, the United States and New Zealand. Great feasts, green clothes, shamrocks and the leprechaun, Irish jokes and Irish music - all are parts of this grand occasion celebrated on March 17.

ASH WEDNESDAY

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent on which priests make ash marks on the foreheads of Christians to symbolize their repentance for wrongdoings, their mortality and their commitment to Good.

marked by funny stuff like eggs and bu

EASTEREaster, the principal festival of the Christian church year, celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his Crucifixion. Easter is a festival of overwhelming joy that celebrates life or, rather, the victory of life over death. Easter is also marked by funny stuff like eggs and bunnies.

MOTHER’S DAY

9th May brings to us the wonderful

opportunity to celebrate the unique

occasion called Mother's Day. It is impossible

to pay back even a fraction of the affection

and care that we get from our mothers.

Mother's Day is a symbol of the depth of the

love of every human being for his/her mother.

FATHER’S DAY

Father's Day is celebrated in the 3rd Sunday in June. The idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in the US. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd who had been raised by her father after her mother’s death thought of the idea for Father's Day in 1909. It’s a special day for the special man, and an wonderful opportunity to make him feel the same.

INDEPENDENCE DAYThe cherished 4th July, the American Independence Day is time for all Americans to celebrate the spirit of liberty and equality. On July 4th, 1776, the United States of America was born declaring its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, picnics, concerts, baseball games and political speeches.

HELLOWEEN

Halloween is a secular holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian tradition of All Saints.Halloween activities include playing trick-or-treat, attending costume parties, carving jack-o'-lanterns, ghost tours, bonfires, telling scary stories and watching horror films.

THANKSGIVINGThanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada. Traditionally, Thanksgiving is associated with giving thanks to God for the harvest and expressing gratitude. Thanksgiving dinner includes: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, pumpkin pie.

SANTA CLAUS

The origin of Santa Claus begins in the 4th century with Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, an area in present day Turkey. By all accounts St. Nicholas was a generous man, particularly devoted to children. The modern American version of Santa Claus says that he lives on the North Pole with his wife, a number of elves and flying reindeer . He brings giftsto the good children for Chrismas.

CHRISTMASReligious holiday, the second most important Christian festival after Easter. It is the day on which the birth of Jesus is celebrated, although his actual birth date is unknown. Observed on 25 December, it is traditionally marked by feasting and gift-giving. All over the world, Christians gather together on Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of Jesus. They thank God for giving his only Son, who was born as a human being. Then there is a late service, known as midnight Mass. And people sing Christmas carols. In churches there are models of the crib in memory of where Jesus was laid.