Forget the 12 days of Christmas -- consider the 31 days of December. The holidays as we commonly know them are but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what December has to offer. It's a multicultural month of celebrations.
It's called the "holiday season," late November to the first day of January, because for Americans the five-week period is littered with them. Starting with Thanksgiving, then Advent, then the eight days of Hanukkah, then Las Posadas, then Christmas, then New Year's, and then, for many African Americans, the holiday period of Kwanzaa. Whew.
But America is home to many creeds and cultures and émigrés, and in the interest of fair play, it moves us to note that the holiday month of December can actually be celebrated every single day. We're all in this together:
01 |
It's Festival of Freedom and Democracy Day in Chad, and next door in the Central African Republic, it's National Day. |
02 |
National Day for Kyrgyzstan and the United Arab Emirates, and Republic Day for Laos. |
03 |
Gotta scrape for a holiday today. All we could find was Australia's International Day for People with a Disability. |
04 |
Thanksgiving is called Kamolol Day in the Marshall Islands. |
05 |
Although it's Discovery Day in Haiti, it's Discovery of Hispaniola Day in the Dominican Republic. In Thailand it's King's Birthday, in the Netherlands it's SinterKlaas, or Saint Nicolas' Eve -- the origin of our own Saint Nick -- and, curiously, in the United States it's Day of the Ninja. |
06 |
Constitution Day in Spain, Farmer's Day in Ghana, Foundation of Quito Day in Ecuador and Independence Day in Finland. |
07 |
Just in case you've forgotten who the first president of Ivory Coast was, it's Felix Houphouet-Boigny Remembrance Day there. Don't know if they're related, but it's Earthquake Victim's Memorial Day in Armenia and Good Neighbourliness Day in Turkmenistan. Also, Pearl Harbor Day here. |
08 |
Among Buddhists this is Bhodi Day, or the day the Buddha achieved enlightenment. In the Falkland Islands, everyone is excited about Battle of the Falklands Day, in Uruguay it's Blessing of the Waters Day, in Uzbekistan it's Constitution Day, on Guam it's Our Lady of Camarin Day and for the hapa Palauan-Panamanians among us, it's Mother's Day in both countries. |
09 |
Constitution Day in the Northern Marianas and Independence Day in Tanzania. |
10 |
Although it's Constitution Day in Thailand and Foundation Day in Angola, just hold on to your coffin nails, because it's Ganga-Bois Day in Haiti, in case you believe in voodoo. |
11 |
Citizens of Burkina Faso in West Africa know it's Proclamation of the Republic Day. Do you? |
12 |
In Mexico and El Salvador, it's Our Lady of Guadalupe Day. |
13 |
In Sweden they're feasting on St. Lucy's Day, and it's all about the patron saint of blindness, not "I Love Lucy." Also named for the saint is the island nation of St. Lucia, and it's their National Day. |
14 |
In Taiwan it's Chingshan Wang's Birthday. Wang is a healing god imported from the mainland. |
15 |
Today is Constitution Day in Nepal. Also Fast of Tebet Day in Israel and Kingdom Day in St. Maarten, Bonaire and the Netherlands. |
16 |
Independence Day in Kazakhstan! National Day in Bahrain! Victory Day in Bangladesh! In case you're wondering, it was Pakistan that Bangladesh scored a victory o'er. |
17 |
This is the day of dull holiday names: National Day in Bhutan and Special Holiday Western Province Day in the Solomon Islands. |
18 |
Republic Day in Niger. |
19 |
Separation Day in Anguilla. |
20 |
The Muslim Feast of the Sacrifice Day is called Hari Raya Haji in Singapore and Id al Adha elsewhere. If you're of the Jainist persuasion, it's Maunajiyaras Day. |
21 |
Winter solstice! Longest night of the year. It's a national holiday in Macao, and a big deal to Celts, who call it Alban Arthuan, and Pagans, who call it Litha or Yule. |
22 |
Army Day in Vietnam, and in Hong Kong they whoop it up the day after solstice. |
23 |
You're in Oaxaca, Mexico, this day, it's Feast of the Radishes Day. I hope they eat better the rest of the year. Also, Queen's Birthday in Sweden and Suez Victory Day in Egypt, and Festivus, the grumblers' holiday invented for the "Seinfeld" TV show. |
24 |
Although visions of sugar plums might be dancing in your head this day, spare a thought for Micronesia, where it's Yap Constitution Day, and Peru, where it's Santuranticuy, an all-sales-day for graven images of saints. |
25 |
Christmas all over the world, and, as a bonus, it's Death of Tsongkapa Day in Tibet and Constitution Day in Taiwan, where lawmakers still stage a brawl. |
26 |
The day after Christmas is called Boxing Day in many English-derived countries, except in the Bahamas, where it's known as Junkanoo. In the Solomon Islands it's Thanksgiving Day. |
27 |
Something must be done about these dull holiday names. It's Commission Holiday in Niue, Family Day in Vanuatu and Public Holiday in the Cayman Islands and Hong Kong. At least Dear Leader dubbed today Anniversary of the Constitution Day in North Korea. |
28 |
Holy Innocents' Day in Mexico commemorates the day King Herod slaughtered all the male infants while on a search for the Christ child. |
29 |
Unless you're still celebrating the African-American holiday of Kwanzaa, you have a holiday today from all the other holidays. |
30 |
Republic Day in Madagascar and Rizal Day in the Philippines. |
31 |
You might think of it as New Year's Eve, but it's also the Day of Azeri Solidarity in Azerbaijan, Foundation of the Congolese Labour Party Day in Congo and the Gaelic Hogmanay in Scotland. |
