January 1st marks the first day of the year, according to the Gregorian calendar. Usually, many people have partied all night long, celebrating New Year's Eve among friends and family. Charlotte's Uptown invites everyone to gather for an end-of-year party along Trade & Tryon Streets. Thousands of people gather to count down to the end of the year and bring in the New Year with their loved ones.

Many take the opportunity of New Year's Day to reflect on the year and resolve to make changes for the better. Some common resolutions include: to get a better-paying job, lose weight and read more books.

Fabian and his family have lived in Charlotte for more than 10 years and have been able to continue with their culture's traditions after they left Ecuador. Below he shares a New Year's tradition his family and friends in Charlotte still celebrate, even though they no longer live in South America.

"Many of my family members have moved to Charlotte from Ecuador. And with us have come many traditions from my culture, including burning 'el año Viejo,' or 'the old year,'" explained Fabian.

"We get old newspapers and stuff them into old clothing, which shapes into an old man. We burn 'un Viejo,' which literally means 'old man.' But this is only a play on words. Our culture respects our older community very much. 'Viejo' is a play on words; it can be an adjective, describing old, or a masculine noun, meaning old man. Fifteen seconds to midnight, we light it on fire. It is symbolic of the year that is about to finish and any social, economic or political problems it may have had. While it burns we hope for the best in the upcoming year," he said.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an black civil rights activist in the 1950s and 1960s who stressed equality for all through nonviolent means. The Queen City, along with many other cities in the United States, has renamed a street after the famous activist. Second Street in Uptown Charlotte was renamed "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd." Every year, those who want to honor Dr. King participate in a peaceful march from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. to Marshall Park. There participants enjoy speeches commemorating his influence on civil rights, live music and dance shows. For more information, visit the NAACP website.

The Chinese New Year, according to the Lunar calendar, is celebrated with the new cycle of the moon that falls between January 21 and February 19. Asian restaurants around the Queen City celebrate the Chinese New Year by serving foods that bring luck, good-fortune and wealth. Each year, the large Chinese New Year event takes place the the Cone Center of the UNC Charlotte. The event is typically sponsored by the Chinese American Association of Charlotte and the Chinese Students and Scholars Association at UNC Charlotte. The day includes many talent performances by Chinese people of all ages, traditional Chinese New Year food and beverages, red bags for children and fund-raising activities.

The U.S. Congress designated the month of February as Black History Month. It is an opportunity to remember any and all important people of African-American descent in United States history. Some are honored for their work for civil rights for black Americans. Others are honored for their accomplishments in education, science and many other aspects in the history of the United States. During Black History Month, many museums and schools encourage special studies of important black Americans throughout history.

The groundhog is a small burrowing animal that hibernates during the winter months. The most famous groundhog in the USA lives in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Every February 2nd television camera crews gather around the Punxsutawney groundhog's burrow and viewers around the country gather around their television sets. The legend is that if the Punxsutawney groundhog comes out of his burrow and is scared by his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he stays out and is not frightened, then spring will come early in the year.

Most calendars are marked with a big red heart on February 14th. This day allows people who like to be romantic an opportunity to go out of their way to show their "significant other" just how much they care for them. Common gifts are flowers, a box of chocolates or other candies and jewelry.

"I love Valentine's Day because I can make my wife feel extra special," said David Littlejohn, who lives near UNC Charlotte. "It is a day I dedicate to her without having to worry about anyone else. In other words, there are no kids or family members to cook for!"

Like many who enjoy making their loved one feel extra special, David goes out of his way to make Valentine's Day an extraordinary day by sending flowers to his wife at work, taking her out to a romantic dinner and giving her a piece of jewelry as a gift.

"My favorite Valentine's Day so far was when David had a flower service deliver flowers to my job," said Tasha, David's wife of three years. "The funny part was that this service had a guy dressed like a big Cupid, and he sang me our song. All of my colleagues enjoyed the moment. We still talk about it five years later!"

Many take the opportunity to show their loved ones extra attention. Young children celebrate in schools by presenting classmates with small "valentines" (small cards showing appreciation of each other's friendships) and candies.

Hot and spicy chicken wings, pizza and hotdogs are all found decorating family tables at a Super Bowl party. Charlotteans invite their friends to enjoy the annual championship game of American football.

Everyone present at a party will wear their favorite team's apparel and cheer for them throughout the game. According to the Neilson ratings, the Super Bowl is one of the highest rated shows in the U.S. These ratings are not only due to the game, but also to the famous half-time show and the many "over-the-top" commercials during the game.

Nearly all Charlotteans especially remember Super Bowl XXXVIII, the 38th championship game of the modern National Football League (NFL). The game was played on February 1, 2004, at in Houston, Texas following the 2003 regular season.

And the Charlotte Panthers were there! It is every football fan's dream come true to have their team in the Super Bowl. And it was SOOOO close. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Carolina Panthers 32-29, as the Patriots' Adam Vinatieri kicked a 41-yard field goal with four seconds left in the game. Oh, well. There's always next year!

Due to increasing awareness of the important roles that woman play in society, the popularity of women's history celebrations continues to grow. Museums around the Charlotte area contribute to these celebrations. Each year, the Museum of the New South and Charlotte's "Woman of the Year" organization present A Woman's Place in recognition of Women's History Month. This program was created to explore the evolving roles of women in our culture and to celebrate their outstanding accomplishments. In the past, discussion panels have featured women who are media professionals, community leaders, police officers, firefighters and college and university presidents.

"Green beer. Green leprechauns. Green anything," answered Steve when asked what he thought about Charlotte's St. Patrick's Day parade.

Most people wear something green to celebrate this day to ward off the bad luck and to avoid being pinched. The Irish pubs in Uptown Charlotte provide the green beer while local high school bands march to the beat of a Celtic drum. This Irish holiday was brought over by Irish immigrants around the 18th century and is celebrated among friends of all cultural origins in the Queen City.

"I forgot to wear something green to school today," said Justin, Steve's 10-year-old son. "I got pinched all day for forgetting." Justin suggests you remember to wear something green next March 17th. It is tradition to wear something green on St. Patrick's Day. If you forget, then you will more than likely suffer from a few pinches throughout the day.

This holiday is believed to have begun in France and brought to the American Colonies by the British. On the first day of April, everyone gets a "license" to play a practical joke or tell a little lie just for fun without getting in trouble. Once someone "falls" for it - meaning that they understand it was an April Fools Day joke - the person playing the practical joke exclaims "April Fools!" This game is played by children and adults alike. Popular tricks are saying "Your shoe is untied" and waiting until the other person looks down to yell, "April Fools!" Other tricks are more elaborate. It's all in fun and no one even has to buy someone a present on this holiday! But, no one gets the day off of work, either.

Make your way to the shopping malls and get in line. The Easter Bunny is here! For many children, getting in line at their local mall to see the Easter Bunny and then heading to the local park for an Easter egg hunt has become a tradition every April. "Since Sammy's first year, we have made sure to get to the SouthPark mall to have a picture made with Sammy on the Easter Bunny's lap," said Leslie of her family's yearly Easter traditions. "I remember that at first he was a little scared. I could understand that, though; the bunny (actually a person in a bunny costume) is huge! After that, we usually go to Freedom Park for an Easter egg hunt. My mom helps me decorate eggs every year, but for the egg hunt we have replaced our elegantly decorated eggs with plastic ones. The plastic ones allow us to hide small prizes for the kids to find."

With more than 400 Christian churches in and around Charlotte, Easter also is the time that people of the Christian faith join Christians around the world in celebrating their belief in the resurrection of their founder, Jesus Christ.

Although May 5th, more commonly known as Cinco de Mayo, is a historic day in Mexican history, many Charlotteans get together to celebrate this day with big Mexican sombreros and plenty of chips and salsa at local Mexican restaurants.

"I love all the extra attention I get on my special day! I don't have to cook, clean, or do anything. My son gave me a gift certificate to get a massage at my local salon," said Jenny, mother of two.

Mother's Day offers children and husbands a chance to show the mother of the family how much they care. They try to give "Mom" a "day off'' so that she does not have to do any of her daily "mom duties."

Although Memorial Day was originally established to honor soldiers killed in the American Civil War, it has become a day to honor all fallen war heroes from any war. It is also considered informally as "the first day" of summer because it is nearly the end of the academic year and the beginning of summer vacation for many students in Mecklenburg County.

On the third Sunday of June, families celebrate fathers and fatherhood. Instead of getting a day off from "daddy duties," however, many fathers fire up the grill to cook hotdogs and hamburgers. They may even enjoy playing football at one of the Queen City's public parks.

Light the charcoal in an outdoor grill and throw some burgers and hotdogs on it. Dress in red, white and blue, and light the sky with fireworks. On the 4th of July, grills all over the Queen City have families and friends gathered around them celebrating the United States' Independence Day. Once the sun sets, many thank our Chinese friends for contributing to the fireworks displays that light up the Uptown Charlotte skyline on the 4th of July.

Labor Day, celebrated on the first Monday of September, allows most workers to take a day off from work, although it is also a major shopping day, so people who work in retail stores often work longer hours that whole weekend. Due to the academic year starting around Labor Day, many shopping centers are packed with parents shopping for school supplies and clothing for their children.

The Queen City has a fast-growing Hispanic population. From mid-September to mid-October, Hispanic (also referred to as Latino) organizations in the city and universities celebrate Hispanic culture. UNC Charlotte holds free Latin dance lessons and sells food to raise money for the Latin American Student Organization.

Using the Hebrew calendar, this Jewish New Year festival comes in either September or October. The traditional start of the Jewish High Holidays is celebrated in Charlotte and around the world with special prayers, services, food and activities.

The Queen City supports breast cancer research by organizing fund-raising events such as five-kilometer (often called 5-K) races and tennis matches. Breast Cancer Awareness Month has been an international initiative to combat breast cancer. Many Charlotteans wear pink ribbons around town during this month.

Be prepared to find witches and princesses walking alongside villains and superheroes on October 31st. Halloween is a day that allows children, and even adults, to dress up in costumes to walk around in neighborhoods, knocking on every door and exclaiming "Trick-or-Treat!" To read more about how we celebrate this holiday, click here.

Charlotteans, like Americans across the country, can exercise their civil rights by showing up at the polls to cast their votes for their favorite candidates. Voting for local and national officials is always the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. For more information on the U.S. government, this site, and for the Charlotte and Mecklenburg County governments, visit this site.

This legal holiday honors men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Thanksgiving Day was originally celebrated by the Pilgrims, early settlers of present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, to show thanks to Squanto, an American Indian who taught the settlers how to hunt and harvest corn. He also served as an interpreter between the natives and the settlers. Today, traditional celebration foods include turkey, cranberry sauce, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie, to name a few. Thanksgiving highlights a day to give thanks for family, love, health or anything for which you can be thankful.

Hanukkah, also know as the Festival of Lights, usually celebrated anytime from late November to late December, is an eight-day Jewish holiday marked with parties, games, gifts for children, and the lighting of the candles of the menorah, a tradtional candelabrum.

Although religiously, this day is considered a Christian holiday, this official holiday is celebrated by practically all the people of Charlotte in some way or another. Although it does have a religious origin, many people who do not share the same religious beliefs nonetheless celebrate the holiday in various ways.

In the USA, gift-giving is the activity most associated with the Christmas season. As a result, shopping centers are packed full of shoppers trying to get gifts for friends and families. Many times, co-workers participate in "Secret Santa," an anonymous gift exchange that usually has a maximum spending limit. "We usually agree not to spend more than five dollars on the gift," said Darcie, a furniture store employee. "We put our names on folded pieces of paper and throw them into a basket. Then we each pull a piece of paper from the basket and get that person a gift. It's fun because the person receiving the gift has no idea what they are going to receive. It's a nice way for us to enjoy our time at work."