1 . Let’s Celebrate!

No matter what kind of culture you come across, there’s always a reason to celebrate! Check out four amazing festivals around the world.

	Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival Every June people get together in Wisconsin,USA, to honor cheese (奶酪).The celebration lasts three days and it's full of different events for the whole family. There are concerts, free cheese tasting, the Big Cheese Parade and Big Cheese Breakfast, etc.
	La Tomatina Every August, Buiol, Spain, hosts a festival where the world’s biggest hour-long food fight takes place. Around 20,000 people take part in the event, throwing over a hundred tons of tomatoes at each other in all. What a juiced-up celebration!
	Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival Are there any festivals to celebrate in winter？Sure! Come to Harbin, China. It is home to Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. The festival starts on January s every year. During the month-long festival, people can enjoy the largest and most beautiful ice and snow sculptures (雕塑) in the world.
	Monkey Buffet Festival The Monkey Buffet Festival is on the last Sunday of November. It is a great day for monkeys in Thailand. People there think monkeys can bring good luck to them. So, to thank monkeys, they have this special festival to feed them.

5 . In my first year of teaching in Houston, I was asked to act as a batman at a birthday party.

One night,the headmaster handed me a costume and said, "Tomorrow you're going to be batman." I knew a batman with a moustache at the party was a huge red flag. I knew it was specially bad for my image,but I didn't want to change my physical appearance because that would mean I was funnier, so I chose not to shave.

The party was at a huge public park, and I had to park my car far enough away so that the children couldn't see me. Then I walked to it secretly, but unluckily,the children saw me coming from about 300 meters away.

I started to regret not to shave. When I got close enough for them to see my face clearly the entire party broke into laughter. I wanted to turn around and run back in embarrassment, but then the laughter changed into cheering and applause. I ran into the party and saw the "birthday"boy with his dad.The dad laughed,"I told you,son.A batman has a moustache."Then he showed me the huge birthday cake with a batman drawn on it,and the batman had a moustache. I just stared at it in disbelief. But it was a thick black line drawn underneath his nose, just like my moustache.

All the children said,"A batman doesn't have a moustache."Instead of admitting the cake was messed up, the parents tried to save face, saying,"No,a batman always has a moustache. He just shaves it for his movies."Naturally,the children were doubtful, but my moustache became the detail that confirmed what the parents had said. Those children of the perfect age still believed in wonders and superheroes and they were pleased to find something kept hidden from others.

That year,I struggled a lot with my identity.Was I a teacher or a clown（小丑）? But that day, I may not have been the hero they ordered,and crtainly I wasn't the hero they expected, but I was the hero they needed.

6 . Everyone feels like winding down in December. Even if you do not celebrate Christmas, the New Year is approaching and most people take a few days' break. In many workplaces this feeling of “mission accomplished” is accompanied by an established tradition: the office party.

In boom (繁荣) times these can be truly lavish (奢侈的) affairs. A Bloomberg event in 2000 was said to have cost £ 1 m (then $ 1. 5m).

Few companies today desire the publicity that tends to follow such an event. The natural question is, if you are spending that amount on a party, how much are you charging clients (客户)? Companies are rightly more sensitive than they were about the risks involved when workers lose their restraint (约束) after consuming too much alcohol. A survey of American companies found that 59% had discussed, or planned to discuss, the dangers of “inappropriate celebrating” with staff.

To avoid these dangers, the chief operating officer of BDO, an accountancy firm, has suggested that two chaperones (陪同人员) attend seasonal celebrations. Other accounting firms have suggested holding daytime events rather than after-hours drinks parties.

There is a lot to be said for daytime celebrations. First, it makes attendance easier for anyone caring for small children, or elderly relatives, and who thus finds it difficult to stay out late. Second, people are likely to be a bit more restrained in their alcohol consumption at lunchtime than in the evenings. And third, celebrating during working hours feels like a real break from duties; attending after work seems more like a responsibility.

Most workers don't expect their seasonal event to turn into a big party; they are just hoping to avoid feeling bored. Only a quarter looked forward to their Christmas event and 71% would rather have a small cash bonus than a noisy party.

Naturally, there is an economic answer and it is specialisation. Think of Adam Smith's pin factory where everyone plays their different part; let everyone have the party they want. Some may want to down the white wine but others may be happier only to eat the cake.

In short, it is easier to enjoy yourself if you can do so in your own fashion. And that may include not partying at all. If managers think staff would rather spend time at home than attend, let them; the company will save money.

7 . Earth Day is an annual environmental event during which people celebrate the   earth's natural environment and promote environmentally healthy practices.     1     They may include continuous living fairs, outstanding speakers, music, dancing, food, and parades, among other things.

There is some disagreement as to when, exactly, Earth Day is.     2     Others celebrate it on the spring equinox (春分), which means that Earth Day falls on different days in the Northern and Southern part.

Early Earth Day celebrations were used to highlight growing environmental problems and to suggest ways of solving these problems.     3     They may include industrial pollution, along with over-harvesting of natural resources and practices which harm the earth. As humans have recognized more and more environmental problems, ranging from global warming to a growing number of threatened or extinct species, the range of the issues which come up on Earth Day has expanded.

    4     They were designed to draw attention to planet issues. Modern Earth Day celebrations often focus on the positive, celebrating progress which has been made in the quest to protect the earth, and offering education about living in a continuous way. Earth Day festivals often feature sources of alternative energy, organic farmers, and locally produced products, to get people to connect with the earth and their communities.

As Earth Day has become more well-known, more and more nations, companies and people have begun actively participating in the event. It is not uncommon to see companies releasing information about major environmentally friendly breakthroughs on Earth Day, for example, and for nations to pick Earth Day as a target date for emissions reductions and other environmentally friendly measures.     5    

8 . Songkran, Thailand

This festival marks the Thai New Year, which is celebrated in the second week of April. This is the hottest time of the year in Thailand, so it makes sense that the biggest Songkran tradition is to throw water on people. Thais of all ages join in water fights, using buckets, hoses (软管)and water guns to celebrate the event.

Boryeong Mud Festival, South Korea

Don't expect to come home clean after experiencing the Boryeong Mud Festival in South Korea. Famous for its mineral-rich mudflats, visitors rush to Boryeong in July to make themselves in mud, swim in grey pools and enjoy the party. There are even mudslides and a mud skiing competition for those who are seeking the extreme mud adventure!

La Tomatina, Spain

The festival dates back to a parade in which some naughty teenagers knocked one performer off his stilts (高跷)and caused a fight of throwing vegetables accidentally. It was once banned until 1957 when the locals held a protest with a funeral. They carried a coffin containing a huge tomato as bands played a funeral march. In the following decades, La Tomatina has become a popular event. If you join the event, be aware that you squash (压扁) the tomato before throwing it. Have a great time but avoid causing any injury.

Dia de los Muertos, Mexico

Beginning at the midnight of October 31 and lasting through November 2, it is a festival when families gather together to remember those loved ones who have died, aiming to help them on their spiritual journey. On these days, Mexican families prepare special tables in their homes. On top of them they'll put photos of the dead and their favorite food. They also visit the graves of their beloved ones to show their respect to the dead.