Enigmatica

Here is a list of holidays in or near December, 2011 with short descriptions. This really should have been posted weeks ago, but I didn't have a blog then.

December is:

• International Calendar Awareness Month - The UN wants you to be aware that various cultures around the world have different calendars and just because the Gregorian (Christian, western) Calendar is the most widely accepted by far doesn't mean it is uniquely right, you Eurocentric jerks.
• Universal Human Rights Month - celebrates the anniversary of the unanimous ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN Security Council on Dec 10th, 1948. Dec 10th is also celebrated as Human Rights Day.
• Read a New Book Month - so says the US Government. The US Government also has 10 other official themes for December, mostly used as tie-ins for various business interests or to attract interest to various causes. This one annoyed me the least.

Holidays Spanning Multiple Days:

• Nov 27th to Dec 25th - Advent - (Catholic) Celebrated for four Sundays before Christmas, it is a time of confession and repentance leading up to Christmas.
• Dec 5th to Dec 11th - Nobel Week - The Nobel Committee gives out their illustrious prizes this week.
• Dec 20th to Dec 28th - Hanukkah - (Jewish) commemoration of the Maccabean Revolt of the second century BC.
• Dec 25th to Jan 6th - Christmastide - (Christian) The twelve days of Christmas last from the celebration of Jesus' birth on Dec 25th (Christmas) until the celebration of the visit of the wise men of the east the night beginning Jan 5th and ending Jan 6th (Epiphany). Traditionally, people would stay at least overnight at several homes of various family and friends during this time.
• Dec 26th to Jan 1st - Kwanzaa - celebration of African heritage and culture.

Single Days:
Dec 1st

• World AIDS Day - (UN) remember the dangers of this epidemic and the suffering of those afflicted by it.

Dec 5th

• Dutch Christmas - (Holland, Belgium) Birthday parade and celebration for Sinterklaas, and origin of much of the legend of Santa Claus. Also, preparation for the Catholic Feast of St. Nicholas the next day.

Dec 6th

• Feast of St. Nicholas - (Catholic) commemorates the life and charitable work of Nikolaos the Wonderworker of Myra, the Christian origin of Santa Claus and an actual, historical man.

Dec 7th

• Pearl Harbor Day - commemorates the day that will live in infamy.

Dec 8th

• Immaculate Conception - (Catholic) commemorates the conception of the Virgin Mary to her mother Saint Anne.
• Bodhi Day - (Buddhist) commemorates the enlightenment of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautauma.

Dec 10th

• Full Moon - Purnima, a spiritual day, in Hindi.
• Human Rights Day - (UN) commemorates the unanimous ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN Security Council, Dec. 10th, 1948.
• Dattatreya Jayanti - celebration of the Hindi Trinity united in one man (Dattatreya). (always on the full moon)

Dec 22nd

• Winter Solstice - shortest day of the year. Yule in Wicca/Nordic traditions. If you don't have your Christmas tree up yet, you're just not celebrating this year.
• Forefather's Day - (Plymouth, Massachusetts) commemorates the landing of the Mayflower colonists on North American soil in 1620.

Dec 24th

• New Moon - Amavasya in Hindi.
• Christmas Eve - (Christian, widespread) final preparation and anticipation of Christmas Day.

Dec 25th

• Christmas Day - (Christian, widespread) commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, but with tie-ins to scores of other religious, cultural, and even secular traditions. Probably the most universally celebrated holiday on Earth.

Dec 26th

• Boxing Day - (Canada, Britain) return all the crap gifts you didn't want and shop 'til you drop.
• Zartosht no-diso - (Zoroastrian) commemoration and morning for the death of this religion's founding prophet, Zoraster.

Dec 31st

• New Year's Eve - Drink too much, count down to midnight, kiss someone, and party all night.

Jan 1st

• New Year's Day - Make resolution never to drink or party that hard ever again.
• Gantan-sai - (Shinto) Japanese New Year has a religious air to it. Sounds silly to go to religious shrines instead of parties, except the next morning when you're hung over and they're perky and renewed.

Jan 6st

• Ephipany - (Christian) commemorates the visit of the wise men of the east to the home of baby Jesus, thus ending Christmastide (the twelve days of Christmas).

Of the 28 holidays on this list, 9 of them are related to Christmas (32%).

In the first years of the 2000s, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan fell in December, but it drifts relative to our calendar and was in July and August this year. It drifts past December once every 30 years, the next time in the late 2020s. Which you would know if you properly celebrated International Calendar Awareness Month.

Happy holidays!