Seasons: Autumn + Winter (northern hemisphere)
Zodiac Signs: Sagittarius + Capricorn
Birthstones: Blue Topaz, Zircon or Tanzanite, Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli
Flowers of the Month: Narcissus, Holly, Poinsetta
December Holidays, Celebrations, Events, etc.:
12/1 World AIDS Day
12/1 Day of Restoration of Independence of Portugal
12/1 Independence Day in the Dominican Republic (1821)
12/1 Independence Day in Iceland (1918)
12/1 Union Day of Romania (1918)
12/1 National Day in the Central African Republic (1958)
12/2 First Sunday of Advent {Western Christianity}
12/2 International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
12/2 National Day / Independence Day in the United Arab Emirates (1971)
12/2 National Day in Laos (1975)
12/3 Feast of Saint Francis Xavier {Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran}
12/3 International Day for Persons With Disabilities
12/3 National Day in Saba (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
12/4 Feast of Saint Barbara [Tridentine Calendar of Roman Catholicism (pre-1969), Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Arab Christians; Greece, Spain, USA, Russia, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, etc.; celebrated by some artillery regiments, battalions + formations of the Armed Forces of Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Norway, USA & Spain]
12/5 Feast of Saint Savvas {Saint Sabbas the Sanctified} [Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic, Roman Catholic; Greece, etc.]
12/5 Sinterklaas Eve / Saint Nicholas' Eve [Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, etc.; the Netherlands, Belgium, northern France; German-speaking + culturally German-influenced parts of Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol in Italy, Nord-Pas des Calais, Alsace + Lorraine in France, Luxembourg), parts of the USA, Canada, Central Europe & of the Balkans (Albania), etc.]
12/5 Father's Day {The King's Birthday} in Thailand
12/5 International Volunteer Day for Economic + Social Development
12/6 St. Nicholas Day / Feast of Saint Nicholas {Western Christianity (Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Anglican, Lutheran, Palestinian Christians, Armenian Christians, etc.); Greece, Albania, France, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Croatia, Bosnia + Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Lebanon, USA, Canada, etc.}
12/6 Independence Day in Finland (1917)
12/6 Constitution Day in Spain
12/7 National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day {USA}
12/7 International Civil Aviation Day
12/7 Armed Forces Flag Day in India
12/7 Feast of Saint Ambrose {Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran}
12/8 Hanukkah begins @ sundown {Judaism}
12/8 Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary {Roman Catholic, some Anglicans & Anglo-Catholics, Anglo-Lutheran Catholics}
12/8 Mother's Day in Panama
12/8 Constitution Day in Romania
12/9 Feast of Saint Anne (Greece)
12/9 Hanukkah {Judaism}
12/9 Second Sunday of Advent {Western Christianity}
12/9 International Day Against Corruption
12/9 Feast of Saint Juan Diego {Roman Catholic; Mexico}
12/9 National Day / Independence Day in Tanzania (1961)
12/10-12/11 Nobel Prize Ceremonies in Norway & Sweden
12/10 International Human Rights Day
12/10 Hanukkah {Judaism}
12/11 Hanukkah {Judaism}
12/11 International Mountain Day
12/11 Republic Day in Burkina Faso (1958)
12/11 Independence Day in South Africa (1931)
12/12 Hanukkah {Judaism}
12/12 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe {Roman Catholic; Mexico}
12/12 Independence Day / Republic Day / Jamhuri Day in Kenya (1963/1964)
12/13 National Day / Independence Day in Saint Lucia (1979)
12/13 National Day / Republic Day in Malta (1971)
12/13 Hanukkah {Judaism}
12/13 Feast of Saint Lucia / Saint Lucy / Santa Lucia {Western Christianity (Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox); Scandinavia/Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Estonia), Italy + Sicily, Latvia, Hungary, Malta, Bosnia, Germany (Bavaria), Croatia, Slovakia, Spain, Saint Lucia, USA, etc.}
12/14 Hanukkah {Judaism}
12/15 Kingdom Day in the Kingdom of the Netherlands (1954)
12/15 Hanukkah {Judaism}
12/15 Bill of Rights Day (USA)
12/16 Third Sunday of Advent {Western Christianity}
12/16 Hanukkah ends @ sunset {Judaism}
12/16 Victory Day / Liberation Day in Bangladesh (1971)
12/16 National Day in Bahrain
12/16 Independence Day in Kazakhstan (1991)
12/16 Day of Reconciliation in South Africa
12/16-12/25 Las Posadas / Posadas Navidenas {Roman Catholic; Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, the Philippines, USA, Cuba, etc.}
12/17 Wright Borthers Day (USA)
12/17-12/23 O Antiphons {Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran}
12/17 Feast of Saint Barbara [Georgia & Macedonia]
12/17 National Day in Bhutan (1907)
12/18 International Migrants Day
12/18 National Day in Qatar (1878)
12/18 Republic Day in Niger (1958)
12/18 Saint Nicholas' Eve {Julian Calendar date in Eastern Christianity; Ukraine}
12/19 Feast of Saint Nicholas {Julian Calendar date in Eastern Christianity; Ukraine}
12/20 International Human Solidarity Day
12/20 National Day in French Guyana (Abolition of Slavery Day)
12/20 National Day in Macau (Transfer of Sovereignty to the PRC, 1999)
12/21 Yule [Christian, Pagan, Neopagan, Wicca, etc.; Germanic, Nordic & other Northern Europeans + some English-speaking peoples (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Estonia), etc.]
12/21 Winter Solstice / First Day of Winter (northern hemisphere)
12/23 Fourth Sunday of Advent {Western Christianity}
12/23 Festivus (USA, Canada)
12/23 The Emperor's Birthday in Japan (national holiday)
12/24 Christmas Eve / Vigil of Christmas / Holy Night {Christianity (Gregorian Calendar)/Christendom (Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Church of Scotland, Methodist, other Protestants, Greek Orthodox, etc.); Western world, secular, some non-Christians; USA, Spain, Portugal, the Philippines, the UK, India, Germany, Poland Lithuania, Italy + Sicily, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Argentina, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Norway, Canada, Romania, Bulgaria, Egyptian Christians, Albanian Christians, Uruguay, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Vatican City, etc.}
12/24 Independence Day in Libya (1951)
12/25 Christmas Day / 1st Day of Christmas {Christianity (Gregorian Calendar) (Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, other Protestants, Greek Orthodox) & non-Christians/secular; USA, the UK, Germany, Mexico, Italy + Sicily, France, Hong Kong, Macau, Poland, Austria, Malta, Slovakia, Canada, Venezuela, Colombia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Egyptian Christians, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Finland, Nigeria, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Christian Israeli Arabs, Christian Palestinians, El Salvador, Brazil, Guatemala, Western Ukraine, Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Albania, Bosnia + Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, etc.}
12/25 Constitution Day in Taiwan
12/26 Boxing Day (some current + former Commonwealth nations: UK, Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand)
12/26 2nd Day of Christmas {Western Christianity; the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, etc.}
12/26 Feast of Saint Stephen / St.Stephen's Day {Western Christianity; Ireland, Austria, Balearic Islands, Catalonia (Spain), Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Montenegro, Norway, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Romania, Slovakia, Poland, Wales, etc.}
12/26 Day of Goodwill (South Africa)
12/26 Independence + Unity Day in Slovenia
12/26-1/1 Kwanzaa (USA, Canada, African diaspora)
12/27 3rd Day of Christmas {Western Christianity}
12/27 Feast of Saint John the Apostle / the Evangelist {Roman Catholic, Anglican}
12/27 Feast of Saint Stephen {Eastern Christianity following the Gregorian Calendar}
12/27 Holy Innocents' Dat / Childermass {Syriac Orthodox Church, Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, Maronite Church, Chaldeans, Syro-Malabar Catholic Church}
12/28 Holy Innocents' Day / Feast of the Holy Innocents / Childermass {Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran; Spain, Hispanic America & the Philippines}
12/28 4th Day of Christmas {Western Christianity}
12/28 Proclamation Day in South Australia {Australia}
12/29 Feast of the Holy Innocents {Eastern Orthodox following the Gregorian Calendar}
12/29 Feast of Saint Thomas Becket {Roman Catholic, Anglican}
12/29 5th Day of Christmas {Western Christianity}
12/30 Feast of the Holy Family {Roman Catholic post-1969 calendar}
12/30 6th Day of Christmas {Western Christianity}
12/31 New Year's Eve {Gregorian Calendar; Scotland, Wales, Austria, Bosnia + Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Brazil, the Caribbean, Iceland, Portugal, Macau, Latin America, the Philippines, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, Netherlands Antilles, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Albania, Kosovo, Romania, Serbia, Canada, Mexico, USA + Puerto Rico, Denmark, England, Ireland, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Venezuela, Australia, Kiribati, New Zealand, Ghana, Morocco, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, etc.}
12/31 7th Day of Christmas {Western Christianity}
12/31 Hogmanay / Watch Night (Scotland)
12/31 Feast of Pope Saint Sylvester I {Roman Catholic}
In a large portion of the world, December is.... a month filled with winter activities & preparations for religious + secular holidays & festivals such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule & Kwanzaa. We might enjoy basketball, football, ice hockey, figure skating, sledding, building snowmen, snowball fights, building snowforts, ice skating, skiing, snowmobiling, snowboarding, snowshoeing, sleigh rides, winter walks + hikes... Mistletoe, holly, ivy, berries, evergreens, poinsettias, amaryllis, bells, stars, snow, icicles, tinsel, snowflakes, frost, garlands, wreaths, trumpets, Christmas stockings, bows, glitter + ribbons, red + green, silver + gold... Christmas tree cutting + decorating, Christmas ornaments, Christmas cut-out cookies, Christmas villages, Christmas crafts, Hanukkah menorahs, Kwanzaa candles, gift-giving, Christmas Eve Midnight Mass, Christmas Morning Church... Santa Claus & Mrs. Claus, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, Pere Noel, Father Frost, Saint Nicholas, St. Nick, Sinterklaas... Elves, Reindeer, Holy Night, Merry + Bright... Christmas Music, Hymns + Carols, Christmas Stories, Visiting Santa, Christmas Photos, Cards + Newsletters, Christmas bonuses... Traditional Christmas foods, cooking, baking, breads, sweets, treats, pies, cookies, cakes, candies, eggnog, glogg, mulled wine + drinks... Hot cocoa + roasting chestnuts by the roaring fire... Yule log, bonfires, smores... candy canes, marzipan, panettone, fudge, fruit cake, gingerbread men, gingerbread houses... flickering candles + twinkling lights... cinnamon, apples, oranges, cloves, peppermint, chocolate, pine, spruce, spices, vanilla, ginger, molasses... Christmas Dinner, gravy, cranberries, turkey, ham, dressing, Feast of the Seven Fishes, Goose, Cider, Mince Pies + Christmas Pudding... Christmas parties + cocktails, Christmas wrapping parties + cookie exchanges... Christmas movies, musicals, cartoons, shows, ballets + television specials... The Nutcracker Ballet.... train rides to visit Santa Claus at the North Pole... Polar bears, penguins & moose... Bell-ringers, charity, fundraisers + volunteering... Christmas caroling, singing + songs, warm sweaters, socks, mittens, scarves + boots... Christmas shopping + strolling, Christmas bazaars + parades... Advent, Twelve Days of Christmas, Manger, Nativity, Star of Bethlehem, Three Wise Men, Drummer Boy, Silent Night, Shepherds + Angels, Noel, Jul, Gold, Frankincense + Myrrh ... Eating, Traveling, Drinking, Shopping, Decorating, Singing, Laughing + Talking... New Year's Eve Parties, champagne, countdown to midnight, resolutions + confetti, Auld Lang Syne... Decking the Halls, Jingling Bells, Holly Jolly Merry + Happy to you all!
ROUND ROYAL BIRTHDAYS + ANNIVERSARIES
December 2 - 50th Birthday of Crown Prince Kardam of Bulgaria, Prince of Turnovo, Duke of Saxony {1962} (son of Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria)
December 2 - 5th Birthday of Sheikha Al Jalila bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai {2007} [daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai & Princess Haya bint Al Hussein of Jordan, Sheikha of Dubai (half-sister of King Abdullah II of Jordan)]
December 5 - 85th Birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej {Rama IX} of Thailand {1927}
December 5 - 45th Birthday of Prince Konstantin-Assen of Bulgaria, Prince of Vidin, Duke of Saxony {1967} (son of Tsar Simeon II of Bulgaria)
December 6 - 35th Birthday of Alexander Johannsmann {1977} [husband of Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg (daughter of Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg {sister of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark})]
December 8 - 110th Anniversary of the Death of King Oscar II of Sweden + Norway {1907}
December 12 - 20th Wedding Anniversary of The Princess Anne, Princess Royal & Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence {1992}
December 15 - 18th Birthday of Flora Ogilvy {1994} [daughter of James Ogilvy (son of Princess Alexandra of Kent {1st cousin of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain + Northern Ireland})]
December 17 - 5th Birthday of James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn (technically Prince James of Wessex) {2007} [son of The Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (son of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain + Northern Ireland)]
December 18 - 35th Birthday of Princess Annemarie of Bourbon-Parma, Duchess of Parma + Piacenza {1977} [wife of Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Parma, Duke of Parma + Piacenza (son of Princess Irene of the Netherlands {sister of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands})]
December 20 - 55th Birthday of Queen Ashi Tshering Pem Wangchuck of Bhutan {1957} (wife of King-Father Jigme Singye Wangchuck of Bhutan, sister to his other 3 wives & step-mother/aunt of King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck of Bhutan)
December 26 - 60th Anniversary of the Death of Duchess Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Queen consort of Denmark {1952}
December 28 - 65th Anniversary of the Death of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy {1947}
December 29 - 35th Birthday of Dr. Claire Booth Windsor, Countess of Ulster {1977} [wife of Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster (son of Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester {1st cousin of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain + Northern Ireland})]
December 29 - 18th Birthday of Princess Kako of Akishino {1994} [daughter of Prince Fumihito of Japan, Prince Akishino (son of Emperor Akihito of Japan)]
December 31 - 30th Birthday of Prince Filipe of Orleans-Braganza {1982} [son of Prince Pedro Carlos of Orleans-Braganza, Head of the Imperial House of Brazil (disputed)]
On the Royal Agenda for December 2012: {here are a selection of events that royal family members are confirmed or rumored to attend, along with a sprinkling of events that they may just turn up at!}
Nov.28-Dec.2 Denmark: Pss Benedikte attends board meeting of the Olave Baden-Powell Society + other events in Hong Kong, China
Nov.29-Dec.1 Spain: Infe Felipe Pr of Asturias visits Mexico to attend the inauguration of President-elect, Hon. Enrique Pena Nieto
Nov.30-Dec.1 UK: Pr.Richard Dk of Gloucester & Birgitte Dss of Gloucester carry out engagements in Rome, Italy
Dec.2 United Arab Emirates: National Day /Independence Day
Dec.2 UK: Pr.Charles Pr of Wales receives the President of the Republic of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, @ Clarence House, London
Dec.4 Sweden: Pss Madeleine attends the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce Christmas Luncheon, New York, USA
Dec.5 Thailand: National Day /The King's 85th Birthday {K. Bhumibol Adulyadej's (Rama IX), 1927}
Dec.5-8 Belgium: Pss Mathilde Dss of Brabant visits Haiti as part of a UNICEF mission to visit projects on the theme of access to education in rural areas
Dec.6-8 Denmark: CP Frederik & CPss Mary visit China (Hong Kong & Beijing)
Dec.10 Sweden: K.Carl XVI Gustaf, Q.Silvia, CPss Victoria, Pr.Daniel, Pr.Carl Philip & Pss Madeleine attend the presentation of the 2012 Nobel Prize (the 2012 Nobel Prize ceremony), @ Stockholm Concert Hall, Stockholm
Dec.10 Sweden: K.Carl XVI Gustaf, Q.Silvia, CPss Victoria, Pr.Daniel, Pr.Carl Philip & Pss Madeleine attend the Nobel Banquet, Stockholm City Hall, Stockholm
Dec.10 Norway: K.Harald V, Q.Sonja, CP Haakon & CPss Mette-Marit attend the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo City Council
Dec.11 Netherlands: Pr.Maurits & Pss Marilene of Orange-Nassau open the exhibition of the painting Woman Reading a Letter by Johannes Vermeer in Sao Paulo, Brazil
Dec.11 Sweden: K.Carl XVI Gustaf, Q.Silvia, CPss Victoria, Pr.Daniel, Pr.Carl Philip & Pss Madeleine attend The King's Dinner for Nobel Prize Winners/Laureates, @ the Royal Palace of Stockholm
Dec.12 Sweden: K.Carl XVI Gustaf holds an audience with the President of Slovenia, HE Mr. Danilo Turk, @ the Royal Palace of Stockholm
Dec.15 Netherlands: Kingdom Day
Dec.16 Bahrain: National Day
Dec.17 Bhutan: National Day
Dec.18 Qatar: National Day
Dec.23 Japan: The Emperor's 79th Birthday {Emperor Akihito of Japan, 1933}
Dec.23 Netherlands: Photo session with Pr.Willem-Alexander Pr of Orange, Pss Maxima, Pss Amalia, Pss Alexia & Pss Ariane @ the Villa La Angostura, Argentina
Dec.23 Sweden: 69th Birthday of Queen Silvia of Sweden {1943}
Dec.24 Christmas Eve
Dec.25 Christmas Day {photos from the UK royal family, & sometimes the royal families of Norway, Denmark, Belgium, + Spain (via photo shoots, Xmas cards, church attendance, etc. at this time of year)}
Dec.28 Austria/Luxembourg: Civil Wedding of Archdk Christoph of Austria & Adelaide Drape-Frisch in Nancy, France
Dec.29 Austria/Luxembourg: Religious Wedding of Archdk Christoph of Austria & Adelaide Drape-Frisch @ the Basilica of Saint Epvre in Nancy, France
Dec.31 New Year's Eve
