| December 2008 |
December 1
World AIDS Day: International.
Day established by the World Health Organization to promote awareness and education about AIDS.
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December 5
National Day (King’s Birthday) : Thailand.
Public holiday in Thailand when Thai’s celebrate the birthday of the current king, King Bhumihol Adulyadej.
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December 6
Independence Day : Finland.
Commemorates independence from Russia in 1917.
Constitution Day : Spain.
Marks the day Spain’s new constitution was adopted in 1978.
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December 8
- Bodhi Day (Buddha’s Enlightenment) (Mahãyãna Tradition)
Celebration of Buddha’s Enlightenment by followers of the Mahãyãna Buddhist tradition based on the Japanese Buddhist calendar.
- Feast of the Immaculate Conception : Christian (Roman Catholic).
Day set aside by Roman Catholics to celebrate the belief that the Virgin Mary was conceived without sin.
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December 9
- Eid al-Adha (The Feast of Sacrifice) : Islam.
Commemorates the story of the sacrifice of Abraham as told in the Qur’an. Culminates the three-day festival connected with the hajj, the annual pilgrimage by Muslims to the holy city of Mecca.
Independence Day : Tanzania.
Celebration of independence from Britain in 1961.
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December 10
Human Rights Day : United Nations.
Commemorates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations in 1948.
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December 12
- Fiesta de Guadalupe : Mexico.
Feast day of the patron saint of Mexico and anniversary of the founding of the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Jamhuri (Independence Day) : Kenya.
Celebration of independence from Britain in 1963.
Constitution Day : Russia.
Commemorates the adoption of the new constitution in 1993.
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December 13
Santa Lucia Day : Sweden.
Winter festival honoring Saint Lucia, an Italian martyr. Celebrated in many Scandinavian communities.
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December 16
Victory Day : Bangladesh.
Commemorates the day in 1971 that the country won its independence from Pakistan.
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December 16 - 24
- Las Posadas : Mexico.
Commemorates Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and the birth of Jesus.
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December 22 - 29
- Hanukkah (Festival of Lights) : Jewish.
Eight-day holiday commemorating the victory of the Jews, led by the Maccabees, over the Greeks in 165 B.C.E and the rededication of the temple.
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December 24
Emperor’s Birthday (Tennou-tanjyou-bi) : Japan (Observed)
National holiday in Japan to honor the birthday of the current emperor, Akihito.
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December 25
- Christmas Day: United States (Observed)
- Christmas : Christian
Public holiday. Celebration of the birth of Jesus by Protestants and Roman Catholics. (Celebrated on January 7 by Eastern Orthodox religions.)
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December 26
Boxing Day (St. Stephen’s Day) : Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland.
Originally the day when one gave money or gifts to servants or those who were less fortunate. Also celebrated in many former British colonies.
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December 26 - January 1
Kwanzaa : African-American.
Celebrated in the U.S. since 1966 and patterned after African harvest festivals.
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December 29
- Muharram (New Year) : Islam.
Beginning of the new year of 1430 based on the Islamic lunar calendar. Celebrates the hegira, the flight of the prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina.
Wounded Knee Massacre Anniversary : Native American.
Anniversary of the day in 1890 when soldiers of the U.S. Cavalry massacred a group of Sioux men, women, and children at an encampment at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
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