12 March - Taiwan celebrates Arbor Day

 

Arbor Day was founded by the forester Ling Daoyang in 1915 and has been a traditional holiday in the Republic of China since 1916. The Beiyang government's Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce first commemorated Arbor Day in 1915 at the suggestion of forester Ling Daoyang. In 1916, the government announced that all provinces of the Republic of China would celebrate the on the same day as the Qingming Festival, April 5, despite the differences in climate across China, which is on the first day of the fifth solar term of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. From 1929, by decree of the Nationalist government, Arbor Day was changed to March 12 [zh], to commemorate the death of Sun Yat-sen, who had been a major advocate of afforestation in his life.Following the retreat of the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan in 1949, the celebration of Arbor Day on March 12 was retained in Taiwan.

12 March - Arbor Day China

 

Arbor Day (or Arbour Day in some countries) is a secular day of observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees.Today, many countries observe such a holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date varies, depending on climate and suitable planting season.

In mainland China, during the fourth session of the Fifth National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China in 1979 adopted the Resolution on the Unfolding of a Nationwide Voluntary Tree-planting Campaign. This resolution established the Arbor Day (植树节), also March 12, and stipulated that every able-bodied citizen between the ages of 11 and 60 should plant three to five trees per year or do the equivalent amount of work in seedling, cultivation, tree tending, or other services. Supporting documentation instructs all units to report population statistics to the local afforestation committees for workload allocation.Many couples choose to marry the day before the annual celebration, and they plant the tree to mark beginning of their life together and the new life of the tree. 

12 March - Celebration of Mauritius independence from Britain in 1968

 

12 March is celebrated as National day or Independence day from Britain in 1968.

Mauritius is a multi-ethnic and multi-language society,it is also a plural society with its population mainly composed of four ethnic groups and four major religious groups; it is often depicted as a "rainbow nation". The island of Mauritius did not have any indigenous population; historically, it was characterized by successive waves of European colonization and multiple immigrations.Under the French rule between 1715 and 1810, slaves were imported on the island from mainland Africa and Madagascar; slavery was only abolished in 1835 due to the British commitment to end slavery.Indian migrants from Pondicherry first started to arrive in Mauritius under the French rule in 1736;  The 18th century also saw one the earliest influx of Chinese migrants into Mauritius, who mostly came from Fujian.Under British rule, more Indian migrants came to Mauritius following the emancipation of the slaves in 1835.From the 1800s, Chinese migrants (mainly Cantonese, Fujianese, and Hakka) from Southern China (mainly from Fujian and Guangdong) arrived in Mauritius, first as indentured labourers and later as free merchants.Since 1860, Hakka immigration started and continued until they became the dominant group of Chinese in Mauritius at the beginning of the 20th century. The co-existence of Mauritians of Indian, African (known as Mauritian Creoles), European (mostly French), and Chinese ancestry eventually led to a sharing of values and cultures, a collective participation in festivals, and an increased understanding between people of different ethnic backgrounds.Mauritians from different cultural backgrounds are very distinct from each other, and it is also highly unpopular to encourage the dissolution of cultural boundaries in Mauritius.Presently, the Mauritian society continues to be culturally and linguistically French-dominated