Chinese Qingming Festival (also known as Tomb-sweeping Day, Pure Brightness Festival or Clear Brightness Day), literally means clear and bright, is one of the 24 seasonal division points in traditional Chinese calendar to indicate that the sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 15°, and is a time for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of spring. The festival falls on either April 4th or 5th each year.
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The blooming of the cherry blossom trees, also known as sakura, signifies the beginning of Spring.
Japan
Cherry blossoms can be viewed from January to June in different regions in Japan, but most of cherry blossom festivals fall between March to May. The blossoming begins in Okinawa in January and typically reaches Kyoto and Tokyo at the end of March or the beginning of April. Hanami festivals in Japan celebrate the beauty of the cherry blossom and for many are a chance to relax and enjoy the beautiful view. “Hanami” is the centuries-old practice of picnicking under a blooming sakura or ume tree. As a Japanese custom, people enjoy eating home-cooked meals or take-out food under cherry trees.
Saint Patrick’s Day is a day for celebrating Irish history and tradition. Irish foods include Irish Soda Bread, Corned Beef and Cabbage, Traditional Irish Stew, Leprechaun Pie, Green Velvet Cupcakes. Irish celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by sharing a “traditional” meal of corned beef and cabbage.  A meal with a “green” theme is the best for St. Patrick’s Day Irish cusine.  Spinach, asparagus, any leafy greens, potatoes or rice with parsley, and a minty green dessert. Below is a selection of classic Irish recipes, and a few modern variations, to celebrate this Saint Patrick’s Day.
St. Patrick’s Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig) is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years. It originated as a Catholic holiday and became an official feast day in the early 17th century. It has gradually become more of a secular celebration of Irish culture.
 
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Today is Arbor Day (Tree Planting Day) in China. The day commemorates the passing of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, China’s democratic revolution forerunner, who died on March 12, 1925. When March 12th is approaching every year, country leaders, civil servants, company employees, and even school pupils go outdoors to fulfill a citizens’ obligation of planting trees. On this day, millions of Chinese, from all walks of life, take shovels and buckets as well as saplings, and trek out to green up their hometowns. First created by the US agriculturist Sterling Morton in 1872, Tree-planting Day was set in order to inspire people’s passions for planting and protecting trees, and to protect and improve the natural environment on which people depend on for their living. In other countries, it may have different names such as Arbor Week, Tree Holiday, or Tree Festival. In Japan, it is called Greening Week. In Israel it is called the New Year’s Day of the Trees. Korea has a Tree-Loving Week. Iceland has a Student’s Afforestation Day. This means “to change open land into forest.”
The Christmas season is marked for wonderful smells! Scents fill the air: pine, spruce, and other evergreens as well as cooking smells like the orange, cinnamon, cloves and ginger in fresh baking. Diffusing essential oils can fill the air with the smell of Christmas cheer, warming a room for a party or event. Many of these oils (citrus oils, spruce, flower scents) have calming or sedative properties, bringing a more relaxed and joyful atmosphere to an otherwise tense family dinner. The same oils calm children, helping hyperactive little ones stay settled at large parties and sleep through the night on Christmas Eve.
By subbing goat cheese for mayo and roasted red peppers for bacon, this recipe has been cut out 291 calories and 27 grams of fat. Plus, our fresh green herb and pink pepper coating delivers a hearty dose of holiday cheer. For extra calorie savings, serve with celery sticks instead of crackers.
