Xiamen International Marathon: on 5th January the annual international marathon takes place in Xiamen. Entrants from all over the world make the trip here to complete for gold. The organising committee is expecting between 20,000 and 30,000 competitors in the next marathon including Chinese, other Asian, European and American runners.

Spring Festival (Chinese New Year): the date for this celebration is set by the lunar calendar, with the festival occurring in late January or early February. Officially, the celebrations last for just a few days, but in many localities the festivities continue on for a month. Preparations include house cleaning, settling debts and cooking traditional dishes to be served during the celebrations. Firecrackers and noise-makers are all part of the festive atmosphere, as are posters in red and gold with wishes for good luck in the new year.

Lantern Festival: this event is held 10 days after New Year’s Day so it can occur in late February or early March. The festival marks the first full moon, and celebrations originated during the Han Dynasty, when lanterns were associated with Buddhist teachings. Today, lanterns are strung up along the streets and there are fireworks displays and exhibitions of folk dancing. Sweet dumplings symbolising the reunion of family and friends are a special treat during this time.

Qing Ming Festival: this event is held annually in April in honour of family ancestors. Typically, all members of the family visit the graves of deceased family members to clean the graves and pay respect to their ancestors, who are held in high esteem. Willow branches are hung in doorways as well, as a means of warding off evil spirits.

Cold Food Festival: held on 4th April, this unusual event has its historical roots a few thousand years in the past, when an official was burned to death. On this day, fire and smoke are forbidden in remembrance of this official, and local residents eat only cold noodles, cold spring rolls and other cold take-out food.

Dragon Boat Festival: this festival is held on the fifth day of the lunar calendar’s fifth month, in honour of a royal scholar who lived in the 3^rd century BC. According to legend, Ch'u Yuan could foresee the future and advised the king of events that were displeasing to the king. The events he predicted came true, and in despair he drowned himself. While local fishermen were trying unsuccessfully to save him, their wives threw rice balls into the water to keep fish from feeding on his body. Today, special rice balls, called tsung, are tossed into rivers as offerings to the spirit of Ch’u Yuan. Dragon boat races are accompanied by drums, re-enacting the search by the fisherman for the drowning scholar.

Children's Day: on 1st June Chinese children receive gifts from their parents, other relatives and from local merchants. Many entertainment venues, including cinemas, museums and amusement parks, offer special discounts for children and their families on this day.

Double Ninth Festival: held on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, falling in either August or September, this event celebrates the importance of the auspicious number nine. Traditional activities on this day began centuries ago and include climbing in the hills and drinking chrysanthemum wine.

Confucius’ Birthday: the Grand Master Kung was born in northern China in 551 BC. A social and political philosopher, he devoted his life to teaching others the importance of a strong family, a social hierarchy, respect for elders and performing work duties. He became known in the west as ‘Confucius,’ and his teachings gained relevance in other parts of the world.

Mid-Autumn Festival: this harvest festival coincides with the full moon occurring in September and is one of the largest celebrations on the Chinese calendar.Family members often travel long distances to be together for this festival. Special moon cakes are prepared and given as gifts to friends and business associates. The cake originally played a role in wartime when secret messages were hidden inside the cakes and they were smuggled past enemy lines.

Rebellion of October 1911: memorialises the date when followers of Sun Yat-sen overthrew the Manchu dynasty in a coup that was largely non-violent. Although the goal was to form a democratic government, this was not successful, and the country turned to Marxism instead.

Christmas: on the 25th December services are held at the country’s first Protestant church to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The Christian influence in Xiamen is evident in the many churches that are still in active use today. Local believers attend Mass on Christmas Day and families gather to exchange gifts. Concerts are held at the Trinity Church in Gualangyu, attracting locals of all religious beliefs.