"Chúc mừng năm mới!"

"Happy New Year" in Vietnamese and greetings on Friday - February 16, 2018 as the Vietnamese welcome the "Year of the rooster!" Known as "Tet," the Vietnamese celebration of the New Year represents the most important annual holiday in Vietnamese culture, and is a certain highlight for those teaching English in Vietnam. Through trade, geographical proximity and invasion, Vietnam, like many nations in Asia, features strong cultural influences from China, and celebrates the New Year according to the same lunar calendar. While there are some parallels between the Vietnamese celebrations of Tet and Chinese Lunar New Year, the Vietnamese version is unique and distinct in many facets.

The city of Puebla was the site of the 1862 battle that is celebrated on Cinco de Mayo

While Cinco de Mayo may not be the Mexican Independence Day most gringos think it to be, it is an important holiday that recognizes an enduring sense of Mexican and Mexican-American patriotism. May 5th, 1862 is remembered as the date of a famous victory over an army of better-equipped French soldiers in the Mexican state of Puebla. While working as an English teacher in Mexico, kick back and celebrate the triumph of Mexican forces against the French. Enjoy a delicious margarita or two and toast to yet another one of France's military misadventures.

Celebrating the triumph of "light over the darkness, of purity over the adulteration and spirituality over materiality," the Festival of Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days and nights beginning on the 25th day of Jewish month of Kislev, which coincides with late November – December on the secular calendar. For American Jews, 2013 is particularly unique because Hanukkah began at sundown on Wednesday, November 27, and the first day of the festival fell on Thanksgiving, a coincidence that many have termed “Thanksgivukkah”!!! Such an occurrence is so rare that according to some calculations, these two holidays won’t happen again for another 77,798 years!

The leaves have turned, the air is crisp and spooky jack-o-lanterns are popping up around the neighborhood, which means that Halloween is around the corner!  If you think that you would miss out on the fun while teaching English abroad, think again! Yes! Many countries around the globe celebrate Halloween, which is one of the world’s oldest holidays, dating back to pagan times. From costumes and “trick-or-treating” to delicious food and parties, you can celebrate Halloween anywhere in the world!

So where will you be celebrating Halloween next year?