Most holidays are religious, and with so many different sects in Lebanon there are plenty of excuses to celebrate. The principal Islamic holidays are tied to the lunar hijra calendar which is about 11 days shorter than the Western calendar, meaning that Islamic holidays fall 11 days earlier each year. Major events include Ras as-Sana (New Year's Day), Achoura, a day of public mourning observed by Shiite Muslims which commemorates the assassination of the grandson of Mohammed, and Ramadan, a month of dawn to dusk fasting. The end of Ramadan is marked with Eid al-Fitr, the Festival of Breaking the Fast.
Mar Maroun, the patron saint of the Maronites, is celebrated on 9
February, and Christian Easter celebrations take place twice, once
according to the Western calendar, and again according to the Eastern Christian
churches. Secular holidays include Independence Day (22 November) and Qana
Day (18 April), an official day of mourning for the massacre at Qana in 1996
in which 107 Lebanese civilians were killed by Israeli shells at a UN camp. More
happily, there's a world-renowned 4 day arts festival in Baalbek each July.
There aren't many sandy beaches on the Lebanese coast; much of the swimming is from rocks or artificial platforms built on jetties. Of the sandy beaches, the best can be found in the far south of the country, just south of Tyre. There are also reasonable beaches near Byblos and at Chekka, near Tripoli. The rocky bathing sites often make good snorkelling spots; water-skiing, windsurfing and sailing are all popular too.