2 . National Bird Day

National Bird Day is a holiday which has been celebrated on January 5th. The purpose of this holiday is to bring attention to the situation of our friends — birds. This holiday is also a good day to appreciate the beauty and the diversity of these creatures.

However, National Bird Day shouldn't be confused with Bird Day — one of the oldest bird holidays. Bird Day is a holiday that is celebrated annually in the United States on May 4th since the late 19th century.

History

National Bird Day is a holiday which has been celebrated for over a decade now. Bird Day, on the other hand, goes back a lot further. According to the Library of Congress, Bird Day was established by Charles Almanzo Babcock in 1894.

Facts About Birds

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, there are almost 10,000 different species of birds. But almost 900 of them are on the verge of extinction(濒临灭绝).

Customs, Traditions, and Celebrations

National Bird Day can be celebrated in many different ways. Participants can watch birds, and they can take part in one of the activities for the protection of birds. In schools across the US, children often are given the task of researching into birds on this day or drawing a nice picture of birds for the classroom.

6 . Something you may not know about End of Heat

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. End of Heat is the 14th solar term of the year, which implies that most parts in China are getting rid of the hot summer and entering autumn. But in some areas, especially in South China, autumn is late in coming and people are still bothered by hot weather. End of Heat is also the busy harvest season for farmers.

The following are the things you should know about End of Heat.

Time for night-blooming cereus (昙花)

The night-blooming cereus is a flower full of mystery, which often blooms during the period of End of Heat. This is because the climate during End of Heat, characterized by warm days and cold nights, is similar to tropical deserts. Night-blooming cereus originates in the tropical deserts from Mexico to Brazil in South America. They blossom at night to avoid the blazing daytime sun.

Eating Duck

Duck has a sweet flavor and according to Chinese traditional medicine it has a “cool” nature. A folk tradition is to eat duck during the End of Heat period. There are many recipes for cooking duck such as roast duck, cooked duck with lemon, smoked duck with walnut dressing and sautéed duck with ginger shoots. The tradition of eating duck during the End of Heat period is still popular in China.

The Fishing Season Festival

For fishermen, the End of Heat is a season of harvest. During this period，the Fishing Season Festival is held in regions along the coastline of the East China Sea in Zhejiang province. The festival is held on the day when the fishing ban ends and fishermen can start fishing again. Due to high temperatures in the sea, stocks of fish remain and become mature. People can enjoy many kinds of seafood during this period.

7 . A trip across the Pacific will guarantee you a different experience with a tipping(给小费) culture you’ve never come across in China.

In the US,giving a little extra money to service workers on top of your bill is a common practice.

Though US national law requires that businesses pay workers at least $7.25 (45 yuan) per hour,employees receiving tips—often waiters and waitresses—are the exceptions.They usually only receive at least $2.13 an hour,and tips make up the difference.As The Wall Street Journal put it:“The American system of tipping holds the promise of great rewards for waiting staff.”

So how should you tip if you are in the US?

Normally you pay tips as a percentage of the bill.Offering an extra 15 percent of the bill to the waiter or waitress in a restaurant and to the delivery man or woman is customary and expected.You can offer more for great service and less for poor service.

Yet there is an exception.For take-out food,you don’t have to provide tips,though some people say that filling an order still requires work and time that deserve a little extra—but maybe a little less.

Tips are not expected at fast food restaurants,pizza parlors,cafés or ice cream shops either,though a tip jar might be right by the cash register (收银机).Don’t feel obligated to throw some money in,but also remember that it doesn’t hurt.Those workers do not rely on tips.

Other service workers also receive tips.For taxi drivers,15 percent is the norm (标准),more if they help with your bags.Hairdressers often receive about 15 percent of the bill.The same goes for spa therapists(理疗师) and tour guides.

Today,you can even pay tips on a credit card.When receiving a copy of the bill to sign,you are free to fill in how much you’d like to tip.

Though thinking about when to tip and how much you should tip causes a big headache for many Chinese people,it’s important to bear in mind that as long as you show respect and use your reasoning,things will be just fine.