Tet starts on the first day of the first lunar month and, according to the Lunar Calendar, is the first season of the new year. The festival is also known as the Tet Nguyen Dan, literally meaning the Fete of the First Day, or the Tet Tam Nguyen, literally meaning Fete of the Three Firsts.

The festival is an opportunity for families to reunite and celebrate together. This custom has become sacred and secular and, therefore, no matter where they are or whatever the circumstances, family members find ways to come back to meet their loved ones.

Those who have settled down abroad all turn their thoughts to their home country and try to celebrate the festivities in the same traditional way as their family members and relatives to relieve their nostalgia, never forgetting the fine customs handed down from generation to generation.

The annual wildebeest migration across the plains of the Masai Mara is perhaps the most phenomenal wildlife spectacle on earth. Between the open plains of the Serengeti in Tanzania and the Masai Mara in Kenya, thousands of wildebeest and zebras migrate to greener pastures as the seasons change and the circle of life and death continues. Predators follow the Wildebeest Migration closely, waiting for an opportunity to strike weak prey as they make their way into different territories. You are likely to see lions, leopards, cheetahs and hyenas shadowing the herds. The exact timing of the Wildebeest Migration changes annually and it is a very unpredictable and spontaneous natural event. The calving season takes place in the Serengeti between the months of January and mid-March before the Wildebeest Migration begins heading towards the western Serengeti in June. In June and August the wildebeest congregate and prepare to cross the famous Grumeti River. If you are in the Masai Mara you can expect the wildebeest to make their arrival as early as July, but they generally arrive between August and September and remain in the Mara between October and November. Between December and January the wildebeest gradually begin their migration back towards the Serengeti.

Cartagena de Indias on the north Colombian coast is without doubt the country’s most captivating city. This UNESCO World Heritage site has the most extensive series of fortifications in South America and is liberally littered with a wealth of colonial gems. Today its popularity has never been greater and in recent years has been the venue for the Cartagena Hay Festival, attracting some of today’s great writers from across the world. It’s an ideal place to celebrate ideas, share stories, to talk about current life issues - love, death, politics, religion, wars and family, in various venues, such as theatres, bars, in the street, over coffee at breakfast or an evening night cap. The programme is packed with inspirational speakers, writers and musicians. 20008 will hold the third edition of the festival.

This annual festival, established in 1985, is China’s greatest showpiece for ice art and attracts hundreds of thousands of local people and visitors from all over the world. Its location amidst the arctic climates of north eastern China presents a fitting venue for this month long celebration of exquisite talent and artistic ingenuity. Inspired by traditional Chinese folklore, as well as the iconic majesty of some of the world’s most universally recognised monuments, including grand cathedrals, pyramids, Potala Palace and the Great Wall. Some of the sculptures are embedded with coloured lights, designed for night time observation. The festival is home to one of the world’s largest ice architecture parks, as well as the most expansive indoor ice and snow art museum on the planet. Harbin Ice Festival is held each year between early January and early February.

An annual military and cultural parade held in the Indian Capital of New Delhi on 26 January, the Republic Day of India. The day is celebrated with the hoisting of the national flag, and parades by the armed forces and school children all over the country. The most famous of these parades is in New Delhi, and has been named the Republic Day Parade. The day begins with various divisions of the Armed Forces saluting the President of India in open jeeps. The Indian Military also showcast its latest acquisitions such as tanks, missiles and radars. A colourful cultural show follows this, where India's rich heritage is paraded with tableaux from various states. Each state depicts its unique festivals, historical locations and art forms. The most cheered section is the children who have won National Bravery Awards, who ride past the dais on elephants. The parade also includes displays of skillful motor-cycle riding, usually by a division from one of the Armed Forces. To conclude, there is an eagerly awaited Fly Past, where fighter planes of the Indian Air Force roar past the dais, symbolically saluting the President. The event is a remarkable celebration of India’s rich history.