2 . For most people in the West, Valentine’s Day (情人节) is celebrated on February 14, but here in Japan it’s on March 14—exactly one month after Valentine’s Day—called White Day.

To really understand what White Day is all about, you have to understand what Valentine’s Day in Japan is like. Japanese Valentine’s Day is all about men getting presents. Japanese women are usually too shy to show their love, though it might not be true today. Valentine’s Day is a great chance to let women show their feelings. Does it sound good to you? Don’t get too excited when you get chocolate from Japanese girls! They give chocolate not only to their loved ones, but also to men such as bosses (老板) and male (男性的) friends. Men should return gifts to women on White Day.

On both days, chocolate is the gift of choice. More often, the colour of the chocolate is white because of the name of the day. You can also buy flowers, candies, or cookies.

The Japanese first celebrated White Day in 1978. Now it is also celebrated in South Korea and Taiwan, China.

4 . A Computer Helps！

I just got a new laptop. It is very helpful. When Ms. Liu asked us to write a report about Easter, I decided to do all of my research on the Internet. I entered some key words into a search engine to find information on this topic.    1    

What is Easter?

Easter is an important festival in Western culture.    2    .

When is Easter?

Easter does not fall on the same day each year. The date depends on the moon.    3    .

How do people celebrate Easter?

People celebrate Easter with their family and friends.    4    . In this way, it is like the Chinese Spring Festival. On Easter Day, many children have egg hunts and eat chocolate rabbits.    5    . Children believe that the Easter Bunny comes and hides chocolate eggs for them to find.

6 . Growing up, I was often the first Jewish person my classmates had ever met. I lived in Mississauga, Ontario, and was the only Jewish student in my grade—sometimes the only one in the whole school. This difference set me apart.

Every September, I hated presenting the note my parents had expertly made to a teacher I was just getting to know. The note explained that I would be absent during the Jewish High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I fretted that my teachers would label me the “Jewish kid”.

The real trouble always came as the local new year’s festival approached. I was Jewish and celebrated Hanukkah, not this festival. At school, on one day before the winter break, every class would sit in neat rows in the gym and sing songs from the festival. However, the music teacher sometimes played Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel, a Jewish festival song, and I would feel hundreds of eyes staring at my red cheeks. As my friends counted down the days until the festival, I counted the days until it was over and I could go back to feeling normal.

Each year during primary school, my mother would coordinate (协调) with my teacher to come to my class and tell the story of Hanukkah. She would prepare treats and materials depending on my age. Every time I would proudly stand beside her as she told the story of Hanukkah and explained the symbols. The children who had attended the presentation previously competed to answer questions. After my mom left, I would overhear them showing off their fried treats to kids in other classes.

My mom’s annual visits to my school sparked (激发) interest from other parents as well. Over the years, we had visits from parents who shared how festivals were celebrated in Germany and Italy.

My mom showed me, my classmates and their families that what sets us apart should be celebrated and shared, an intention which I continue to set for myself as I cycle through another holiday season.

7 . Mother’s Day is celebrated across the globe, though on different dates. Similarly, the ways of celebrations also vary from country to country. It’s interesting to know how different cultures and traditions catch the spirit of this special day. To know about traditions followed in different countries, go through the following lines.

Mother’s Day Tradition in the United States

In the United States, Mother’ s Day is a national holiday and celebrated on the second Sunday of May. History of Mother's Day is more than a hundred years old in the US. It was after a long struggle by a loving daughter Anna Jarvis that Mother’s Day was declared a national holiday by the US government. On this day, children offer beautiful flowers and gifts to their mothers. Carnations are considered traditional Mother’s Day flowers. Red carnations are symbol of love and affection. White carnations are worn on this day in memory of those mothers who are no longer living.

Mother’s Day Tradition in France

The French celebrate Mother’s Day on the last Sunday in the month of May. Traditionally, a French mother is honored with a cake, which resembles a bunch of flowers. This is followed by a traditional family dinner.

Mother’s Day Tradition in Spain

Unlike France and the United States, Mother's Day is celebrated on December 8 in Spain. Mother’s Day in Spain has more of a religious significance. To make this day special to their mothers, children buy chocolates, flowers and cards for them.

Mother’s Day Tradition in Mexico

Unlike the United States, Mother's Day in Mexico is celebrated on May 10 every year. On this day, churches in Mexico organize special masses. This is followed with distribution of ‘tamales’ and ‘atole’, the traditional early-morning meal for all mothers.

9 . Thailand is a country with a long and rich history. It is also one of those countries which have many traditions which modern times fortunately have not affected. Thailand is famous for its unique culture. It is well worth noting that Thai culture has been handed down from one generation to the next.

Thai Classical Dance

The inspiring culture includes local music and wonderful Thai dances. The dances of course have something to do with its deep-rooted Buddhist religion, fighting arts and beautiful clothing. Thai classical dance performances are generally performed by gracious (高雅的) Thai ladies wearing beautiful Thai local costumes. Most resort (旅游胜地) areas and many hotels frequently offer these Thai culture dance shows for foreign visitors.

Thai Greeting

The unique Thai gesture of greeting another person, the wai, is especially one of the great aspects of Thai culture. The wai is when a person joins both hands to either head or chest level while bending their head slightly towards his hands. This way of greeting is especially done when a younger person greets an older person and it indicates a sign of respect to their elders. Employees would also wai their managers even if the manager would be younger than themselves.

Bangkok

Bangkok is the culture center of Thailand and has been the Thai capital since the end of the eighteenth century. Observing Thai culture in Bangkok can be great experience as the combination of modern times and traditions have created a kind of unique atmosphere. Bangkok offers a package of Thai culture which is shown by numerous beautiful Buddhist temples and many examples of modern Thai architecture.

Bangkok National Museum

Another location in Bangkok where one can enjoy and see Thai culture is at the famed Bangkok national museum, which offers tourists an opportunity to view national treasures and unique Thai art pieces with its culture feature dating back as early as the late sixteenth century.

10 . Dragon Boat Festival abroad

The Dragon Boat Festival, or Duanwu, is marked on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. Similar festivals abroad include Tango no Sekku in Japan and the Gangneung Danoje Festival in South Korea.

Originally, the Duanwu Festival was called Tango no Sekku in Japan and celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the lunar calendar. However, the festival became a Children's Day, which was designated as a national holiday by the Japanese government in 1948. It is celebrated for children’s personalities and their happiness.

Falling on the May 5 in the Chinese lunar calendar—the day of China's Dragon Boat Festival, South Korea's Gangneung Danoje has the longest history among Korean local festivals and its main purpose is to honour the guardian spirit of a mountain that protects the town, pray for peace among the town and its families as well as farming prosperity.

Festival celebrations consist of shamanistic rituals, folk dances and songs, oral narrative poetry and various popular pastimes. The Nanjang market is another festival element, where local products and handicrafts are sold and contests, games and circus performances take place.

Nowadays, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in some Western countries with activities such as dragon boat racing and eating zongzi.

Participants compete on the water during the fourth Steveston Dragon Boat Festival held at Richmond, Canada, Aug 24, 2013.