Event: Chinese New Year
Date: The first day of a year in lunar calendar, usually between late Jan and early Feb
Activities: This is, without a doubt, the most important festival of the Chinese lunar calendar. Also known as the Lunar New Year, this festive period lasts for 15 days and usually falls during the months of January and February. The whole island seems to stop to celebrate this special period, but the liveliest events, of course, are to be found at Chinatown.The night before the first day of Chinese New Year, Chinese people all over Singapore make it a point to rush home for the annual family reunion dinner, which marks the start of a period of feasting. Chinese New Year cookies such as love letters and pineapple tarts (a Singapore-Malaysia invention), barbecued pork and sumptuous Chinese dinners are usually featured.Another New Year specialty which originated in Singapore and Malaysia is yu sheng, or raw fish in a colourful bed of salad. The fish symbolises a prosperous life, and each colour in the salad brings a special significance as well. Yu sheng is not meant to be nibbled at demurely, you have to eat it with a whole bunch of people who will all dig in their chopsticks and toss the salad as high as possible. This noisy ritual is called lo hei, and is meant to bring you good health and luck for the rest of the year. If you visit the home of your Chinese friends during this period, bring along a pair of mandarins as a token of good fortune. You will probably get hong baos in return; these are red packets containing money, and are, not surprisingly, kids' favourite part of Chinese New Year. Wish your hosts Gong Xi Fa Cai, it's the traditional greeting during the celebration and means you wish them lots of prosperity and good fortune.

Event: Vesak Day
Date: 19th of May in 2008
Activities: Vesak Day For Buddhists the world over marks the birthday of the Lord Gautama Buddha. In Singapore, the many followers of Buddha pay a visit to the various Buddhist temples dotting the island for a day of worship and prayer. Priests in the newest saffron-coloured robes chant blessings and sprinkle holy water at the devotees, and for many Buddhists this is the time to re-dedicate themselves to the central teachings of Gautama - moderation and the release from worldly desires. In many temples, priests will release a flock of doves from a cage, to signify humanity's freedom from earthly bondages.Priests in the newest saffron-coloured robes chant blessings and sprinkle holy water at the devotees, and for many Buddhists this is the time to rededicate themselves to the central teachings of Gautama - moderation and the release from worldly desires. In many temples, priests will release a flock of doves from a cage, to signify humanity's freedom from earthly bondages.