Dec. 1 National Pie Day and Eat A Red Apple Day (U.S.) or
save time and just have an apple pie / World AID's Day, names such because it
was on this day in 1981 that the AIDS virus was officially recognized.
Dec. 2 National Fritters Day (U.S.)
Dec. 3 International Day of Disabled People / Bona Dea
(Ancient Rome) Day for secret women's rites for "The Good Goddess"
the exact identity of whom is unknown... at least to me, which is as it should
be I guess. / Mindfulness Day (Zen Buddhism) day for mindfully seeing and
acting with compassion for the poor and oppressed. / also Mercury, Venus and
Saturn fall into alignment over the Giza pyramids on this date.
Dec. 4 Cracker Jack Day (U.S.) / Wear Brown Shoes Day. (U.
S.) Just why I will not speculate on.
Dec. 5 H.M. The King's Birthday (Thailand) / Death of
Aleister Crowley 1947, age 72, not bad for somebody hooked on smack.
Dec. 6 National Day of Remembrance and Action against
Violence against Women (Canada)
Dec. 7 National Cotton Candy Day (U.S.) originally called
fairy floss, it being made from flossine sugar for... I don't know... elves,
pixies and fairies but no doubt stolen by some intrepid lad or lass and given
to the rest of the world as detailed in a fairy tale I've never heard of. As
for why this would be set in December instead of the summer or spring when most
of this confection is eaten is beyond me.
Dec. 8 Hanukkah (Jewish) starts at sunset and goes until the
15th. / Bodhi day or Rohatsu (Zen Buddhist celebration of the Buddha's
enlightenment.) / Tara Puja (Tantric Buddhism) for meditation on Goddess Red
Tara, protector against evil and harm. / Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Day.
Dec. 9. Anna's Day (Sweden and Finland) Day to celebrate all
people named Anna also the day to start the preparation process of the lutefisk
to be consumed on Christmas Eve. Hey Anne, we were dropping this dried codfish
in lye to let it lay their for a few days till it turns into this translucent
white goo and it made us think of you.
Dec. 10 Festival For The Souls Of Dead Whales (Inuit people
of Alaska) / Human Rights Day. (U.N.)
Dec. 11 National Noodle Ring Day, laugh if you want, but at
least its always on the 11th of December and not one of those darn movable
feasts!
Dec. 12 Day of Our Lady of Guadeloupe (Mexico) To celebrate
the appearance of the Virgin Mary in 1531 at a former Aztec temple. / Bonza
Bottler Day(U.S.) An excuse to celebrate, this happens every month when the day
and the date are the same numbers, and the last time we will ever be able to
write a check with some thing like three twelves on it!
Dec. 13 The first Papal Bull against magic is issued by Pope
Alexander IV in 1258... It being okay before than? As a note, rumor has it that
the Vatican has in its library, hidden away under the equivalent of a Papal
EYES ONLY seal, books of powerful magic that were used in the very early days
to defeat the various shamanic, magical, and other religious groups they were
competing against, after the other belief systems had been put down the books
were hidden away under pain of death for those that might want to take a look,
but not destroyed just in case any made came back.
Well it's what I heard!
Dec. 14 Consualia (Ancient Rome) Holiday for the god Consus,
represented by a corn seed, who was the protector of grains and subterranean
storage bins. / On this day in 1910 the Tarot deck that would later be known as
the Rider-Waite, and the inspiration for dozens of other decks, was first
published.
Dec. 15 Bill of Rights Day, the United States Bill of Rights
is Passed in 1791. / Amitabha Day (Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhism) Day to do
good deeds and chant the name of Amitabha to gain entry to His Pure Land, and
aid in attaining nirvana.
Dec. 16 - 24 Posadas (Mexico) A holiday that commemorates
Joseph and Mary looking for a place to stay in Bethlehem. All I know is unless
they want to get arrested Joseph and Mary better stay out of Alabama and
Arizona, I really doubt they have the right papers.
Dec. 17 1904 - First flight by the Wright Brothers. / - 23
Saturnalia (Ancient Rome) Dedicated to Saturn from which many of the things we
call Christmassy come from, which is a little surprising considering what a
gloomy cuss he was.
Dec. 18 Feast of Epona (Ancient Rome) Feast for the goddess
of horses, donkeys & mules. However originally she was a Celtic goddess but
the Roman soldiers in Celtic lands liked her so much they adopted her. /
Slavery is abolished in the United States, with the passing of the 13th
Amendment.
Dec. 19 Opalia ( Roman) A part of Saturnalia this day was
given over to Ops the Goddess of Plenty. With all the Xmas whoop de do don't
forget these!
Dec. 20 Festival of the God of Commerce (Japan)
Dec. 21 Winter Solstice / Yule.
And / or the end of the world? or we are engulfed by a wave
of enlightenment? Or things continue same as it ever was.
They use to sell date nut bread in cans, I haven't seen that
in years, but darn it was good.... for cake that came out of a can that is.
Dec. 22 Date Nut Bread Day. They use to sell date nut bread in cans, I haven't seen sold like that
in years, but darn it was good.... for cake that came out of a can that is. But really, go to a bakery, That too is pretty darn good!
Dec. 23 Noche de Rábanos "Night of the Radishes"
(Oaxaca, Mexico) While it lasts only a few hours a very popular festival that attracts
thousands of people to the plaza. It consists of an exhibition of sculptures
made from a type of large red radish which can weigh up to 3 kilos in weight,
(over 6 pounds,) and 50 cm (over a foot and a half) in length, especially grown
for this event and left in the ground for months after the normal harvests to
let them attain their giant size and unusual shapes. / Larentalia (Roman) Last
day of Saturnalia. / Festivus (made famous on an episode of Sinfield, but
around before that and actually followed by a few people, more or less) A
festivus for the rest of us
Dec. 24 Christmas Eve. But then it's pretty much (fill in
the blank) Eve the day before any holiday but you don't see say National
Fritters Day making a fuss about it. No doubt about it as holidays go Christmas
is a bit to full of itself.
Dec. 25 Christmas. Not much to say as you almost never hear
anything about this obscure holiday.... at least not much before the 20th of
October when they start banging the sales drum. At one time Xmas was illegal in
America and England, and I assume Canada & Australia as well perhaps, till
it was brought back in part by the efforts of Charles Dickens. / Feast of Frau
Holle (old Germanic) Frau Holle, a winter goddess, was believed to travel
throughout the night blessing the good and punishing the wicked. / Day to eat
your Christmas cake (Japan)
Dec. 26 Boxing Day (UK, Canada, `and surprisingly enough
Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina & West Virginia) my
butler Rugglesworth always finds it so amusing when I iron the paper for him on
this day. / Wren Day (Ireland & the Isle of Man) also known as Wren´s day,
Hunt the Wren Day or The Hunting of the Wrens (Irish: Lá an Dreoilín) consists
of "hunting" a fake wren, and putting it on top of a decorated pole.
Then mummers or strawboys celebrate the Wren or Wran by dressing up in masks,
straw suits and colorful motley clothing and to parade through the towns and
villages in remembrance of a festival that was celebrated by the Druids. /
First Day of Kwanzaa. A made-up holiday that started in the 60's. But then in the
long run aren´t they all?
Made up that is.
Dec. 27 Boar's Head Supper (Cambridge, England) / In 537 the
Hagia Sophia is completed. / in 1831 Charles Darwin embarks on his journey
aboard the HMS Beagle, and / in 1904 James Barrie's play Peter Pan premieres in
London. Giving a name to a type of couple where in the Windys needs to stop
enabling the Peters and force him to grow the &$%^ up.
Dec. 28 Card Game Day (U.S.) I'm thinking about designing
one of those trading card games based on pointless holidays.
Dec. 29 Pepper Pot Day (U.S.) "I chose you Pepper Pot
Day!" (see above)
December 30 Bicarbonate of Soda Day (U.S.) When you
absolutely, positively can think of nothing else to dedicated a day to. However
in the card game this day will be used to neutralize the effect of those who
play the card above.
Dec. 31 Namahage (Japan). In the evening groups of Namahage
men dressed as devils make door to door visits asking "Any good for
nothing fellows here about?" The object is to give sluggards a chance to
reform. / Siddhartha Buddha Day (Tibetan Buddhism) Day Tibetan Buddhists
meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts. / World
Peace Meditation. / New Year's Eve.
And then it's start of a year in which every Friday is a
Friday the 13th.
Good Luck!
