December in History
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birthdays and history:
About the Month of December
December is the 12th month of the year and has 31 days.
Season (Northern Hemisphere): Winter
Holidays
Pearl Harbor Day
Hanukkah
Christmas
Boxing Day
Kwanzaa
Read a New Book Month
Human Rights Month
Calendar Awareness Month
National Handwashing Awareness Week
National Fruit Cake Month
Symbols of December
- Birthstone: Turquoise, zircon, or tanzanite
- Flower: Narcissus or Holly
- Zodiac signs: Sagittarius or Capricorn
History:
December was originally the tenth month of the year in the Roman calendar. It gets its name from the Latin word "decem" which means tenth. However, when the Romans added January and February to the calendar, it became the twelfth month. They still kept the name, though.
December in Other Languages
- Chinese (Mandarin) - shí'èryuè
- Danish - december
- French - décembre
- Italian - dicembre
- Latin - December
- Spanish - diciembre
Historical Names:
- Roman: December
- Saxon: Giuli
- Germanic: Heil-mond (Holy month)
Interesting Facts about December
- It is the first month of winter and the last month of the year.
- National Cookie Day is December 4th. Other snacks celebrated this month include pie, cotton candy, chocolate brownies (mmm!), cocoa, and cupcakes.
- December often marks the beginning of rain, snow, and cold weather.
- In the United States the month is associated with Christmas. There are Christmas decorations, sales, musicals, and parties. Many people spend their time Christmas shopping.
- A lot of people have days off around Christmas and before New Year's Eve.
- December in the Northern Hemisphere is similar to June in the Southern Hemisphere.
- The first day of Winter is on either December 21 or 22. This is the shortest day of the year and the longest night. It is called the Winter or Southern solstice in the Northern Hemisphere.
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