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.
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 28th. / 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 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. 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.
