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Every day, somewhere in the world, a community is celebrating! And once in a while, we like to take a look at the official holidays and UN observances that are taking place. So, what's happening today?

The beautiful Dragon Boat Festival (also known as the Duanwu Festival) took place today across China, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. Every year, the festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, which is June 12 in this year's Gregorian calendar. While the specific origins of this ancient holiday are up for debate, the celebrations themselves are colourful. The holiday is marked by boat races, dragon boat shows, and the making and eating of zongzi, glutinous rice treats wrapped in bamboo leaves.

June 12 is also an important day in the Philippines, where it's their Independence Day. Citizens celebrate the declaration of Philippine independence from Spanish rule by spending time with friends and family, and watching parade and flag-raising celebrations. Colorful fireworks displays are always presented in the city of Manila in the evening, often accompanied by local music. In 2013, the Philippines celebrates 115 years of independence!

In other news, today also marks the UN 's World Day Against Child Labour, which was launched in 2002 to highlight the plight of child labourers and work towards abolishing the practice. The 2013 "theme" of the observance revolves around domestic work. Visit the official UN page here.

Maintaining an interest in celebrations and observances around the world is a simple and fun way of staying connected to your global self and building your International IQ. You can conduct your own searches, or simply keep up with MyWorldBlog and every once in a while, we'll fill you in!

Want to stay in touch with the world by surfing the Web? Read The World Online on the main MyWorldAbroad site (for registered users).