1 . It seems every country has one major event on the annual calendar that claims to trump all others. But with almost 200 countries across the globe, experiencing every single one is near impossible for most us – despite how much we’d like to go. Here we’ve boiled down the options to the absolute top events to add to your bucket-list.

Gion Matsuri – Kyoto, Japan – July

Widely considered to be the summer festival in Japan, Gion Matsuri is more than 1,000 years old. It all started as a means to calm down the gods who brought sufferings by way of fire, floods and earthquakes, but these days, it’s a little more light-hearted and certainly a huge tourist magnet. Expect to be struck by the three festive evenings featuring a parade known as the ‘Yoiyama’ – a sight of delicately decorated lanterns and an all-round atmosphere of excitement with Japanese wine and food stands.

Songkran – Thailand – April

A water fight on a national scale, Songkran in Thailand is the celebration of the Buddhist (佛教的) New Year. Initially, water played a part on this special day by being poured over Buddhist statues, but these days, although still a spiritual and religious festival, Songkran has become a joyous occasion for festivity across the kingdom. Wherever you are in Thailand, you can expect to get wet with everything from water guns to elephant’s trunks being used for the purpose.

Saint Patrick’s Festival – Dublin, Ireland – March

Sure, Saint Patrick’s Day is observed anywhere in the world where there is an Irish community (or even just an Irish pub), but if you’re going to get involved, there’s no better place than Dublin. This festival runs for five days and five nights in March and is packed fuller than a program of music, performing arts, literature, tours and Irish food events. Centred around the national holiday, this festival of Irish pride, achievements and talents will be well supplied with typical beer and cocktail.

Montreux Jazz Festival – Montreux, Switzerland – June - July

There are plenty of music festivals in Europe, but this 50-year-old good time held on the shores of Lake Geneva is truly one of a kind and is the second-largest jazz festival in the world. It’s not just jazz, though. Here you’ll find broad ranging acts from pop to rock and blues, and, best of all, a large portion of the performances are free, in keeping with the festival’s intention to make music accessible to anyone.

Labor Day in the US falls     1     the first Monday of September every year. It has     2     rich history centered around workers.     3     most Americans likely consider Labor Day a unique American experience, in reality, Labor Day has     4     (it)origins in Canada.

Caused by the labor conflicts in 1870 in Toronto, a parade was held in 1872 in support of a strike against the 58-hour workweek. As a result, 24 union leaders     5     were responsible for organizing the event were arrested under anti-union laws.

The first Labor Day celebration in the US can     6     (trace)to Sept. 5, 1882. It was designed to comfort city workers after numerous strikes and even     7     (violent)in some cases. Labor Day has been celebrated since. President Grover Cleveland declared that day Labor Day in 1894. The     8     (extend)weekend helps Americans who choose     9     (travel). Originating as a celebration for the working class, Labor Day has also evolved into the unofficial end of the summer season and for many school districts it has been the beginning of the     10     (academy)year again.