December
December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days.
December begins (astrologically) with the sun in the sign of Sagittarius and ends in the sign of Capricorn. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of Ophiuchus, which is the only zodiacal constellation that is not counted as an astrological sign, and ends in the constellation of Sagittarius.
In Latin, decem means "ten". December was also the tenth month in the Roman calendar until a monthless winter period was divided between January and February.
Monthlong observances
- World AIDS Month
- Human Rights Month
Events in December
- Hanukkah
- World AIDS Day (December 1)
- Sinterklaas in The Netherlands (December 5)
- Naksi in Kazakhstan (December 5)
- Independence Day in Finland (December 6)
- Pearl Harbor Day in the United States (December 7)
- Día de la Madre en Panamá, Mother's day in Panama. (December 8)
- Human Rights Day (December 10)
- Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe, or Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, in Mexico (December 12)
- Saint Lucy (December 13)
- Zamenhof Day (December 15)
- The solstice called the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere and the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere occurs on dates varying from 20 December to December 22 (in UTC).
- In the pagan wheel of the year the summer solstice is the time of Litha and the winter solstice is that of Yule.
- Fictional holiday, Festivus (December 23)
- Christmas Eve (December 24)
- Christmas (December 25)
- Boxing Day (December 26)
- Kwanzaa (December 26 to January 1)
- Philippines - Rizal Day (December 30)
- New Year's Eve (December 31)
Trivia
- December always begins with the same day of the week as September.
- December's flower is the narcissus or holly.
- December's birthstones are turquoise, lapis lazuli, zircon, topaz (blue), or tanzanite.
- December in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent to June in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa.
Other names
- In Albanian, December is called Dhjetor
- In Finnish, December is called joulukuu, meaning "month of Christmas", since about the 18th century. Earlier it was called talvikuu, meaning "month of winter".
- In Georgian, December is called დეკემბერი.
- In Irish, December is called Mí na Nollaig, meaning "month of Christmas".
- In the old Japanese calendar, the month is called Shiwasu meaning "priests run"; it is named so because priests are busy making end of the year prayers and blessings.
- In Xhosa, December is known as ngeyomNga, meaning "month of the mimosa thorn tree".