Holidays and Observances:

1: International Day of the Seal.

2: Longtaitou ("dragon raises its head") Festival is seen as an important day to perform worshipping rituals and wish for good harvests. It falls on the second day of the second lunar month. Farmers usually start their spring ploughing on this day. People believe getting a haircut on this day will bring them luck.

3: National Ear Care Day, initiated in 2000 and observed annually in order for expanding ear care awareness and preventing deafness in China.

5: China's Youth Volunteer Day.

8: International Women's Day (1/2 day off for women).

8: Blade Shaft Festival, a ceremony held on the 8th day of the 2nd lunar month by southwest China's Lisu ethnic group in honor of their hero, Wang Ji. Each clan gathers together to watch their young men display breathtaking courage and skill in such events as climbing blade ladders and running through fire.

12: Tree Planting Day.

15: World Consumer Rights Day.

17: National Medicine Day.

17: St. Patrick's Day

21: World Forest Day.

21: World Sleep Day.

21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. On March 21, 1960, in the township of Sharpeville, South Africa, police opened fire and killed 69 people who were peacefully demonstrating against the apartheid "pass laws." Now, on this day, the UN General Assembly calls on the international community to work together to combat racism.

Nawuruz, a festival of the Kazak people in northwest China's Xinjiang region to greet spring, usually held shortly before or after the vernal equinox. Families gather together to enjoy a holiday meal of traditional foods.

22: World Water Day, declared by the UN General Assembly, aims to raise awareness of issues related to the conservation and development of water resources.

23: World Meteorological Day.

24: World Tuberculosis Day.