All - Leep Calendar

The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The Fiesta Bowl was first played in 1971.

Africa

Dec

Make Up Your Mind Day: December 31

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While the last day of the year is a time for celebration and parties, it should also be a time for reflection. It is an excellent time for serious decisions about life, family, and career—no more excuses. Make up your mind!

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Dec

New Year's Eve: December 31

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Today is the last day of the year. Common traditions include attending parties, eating particular foods, making resolutions for the New Year, and watching fireworks displays. The earliest recorded festivities in honor of a new year’s arrival date back some 4,000 years to ancient Babylon. Julius Caesar instituted January 1 as the first day of the year, partly to honor the month’s namesake—Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, whose two faces allowed him to look back into the past and forward into the future.

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Dec

No Interruptions Day: December 31

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It's the last day of the year and a time to get as much done as possible. No Interruptions Day seeks to give you an excuse to bury yourself in work or cut off distractions at home.

Africa

Dec

Unlucky Day: December 31

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December 31, which is 13 backward, has been dubbed the Unluckiest Day of the year by someone—after Friday the 13th, of course. Unluckiest Day is an unofficial event with no sponsor.

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Dec

Christmas Bird Count (US/UK/CA): December 14-January 5, 2025 (est)

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Each year the Audubon Society hosts a three-week bird count across the United States and Canada. The Audubon Christmas Bird Count mobilizes over 72,000 volunteer bird counters in more than 2,500 locations across the Western Hemisphere. The Audubon Christmas Bird Count utilizes the power of volunteers to track the health of bird populations at a scale that scientists could never accomplish alone. Data compiled locally will record every bird and bird species seen in a specified area, contributing to a vast citizen science network that continues a tradition stretching back more than 100 years. Over 300 peer-reviewed articles have resulted from analysis done with Christmas Bird Count data. Bird-related citizen science efforts are also critical to understanding how birds respond to a changing climate. This documentation enabled Audubon scientists to discover that 314 species of North American birds are threatened by global warming, as reported in Audubon’s groundbreaking Birds and Climate Change Study. The tradition of counting birds combined with modern technology and mapping enables researchers to make discoveries that were not possible in earlier decades. Birders of all ages are welcome to contribute to this fun, nationwide citizen science project, which provides ornithologists with a crucial snapshot of our native bird populations during winter. Each count is performed in a count circle with a diameter of 15 miles. At least ten volunteers, including a compiler to coordinate the process, count in each loop. The volunteers break up into small parties and follow assigned routes, which change little from year to year, counting every bird they see. Some people watch feeders, while others count in defined circles and paths.

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Dec

Pausa (H): December 16 - January 13

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In the Hindu Calendar, Pausa is the tenth month. PLEASE NOTE: We use the Indian civil calendar, the official holiday calendar in India. The Hindu faith has many calendars, each specific to different regions and tribes, with dates and celebrations marked by differing positions of the sun, moon, and stars. Names of months and holidays and the corresponding dates in the Gregorian Calendar may vary widely from one calendar to the next. Determine the proper calendar before attending local events.

Africa

Dec

King Abdulaziz Camel Festival (SA): December 1 - January 14 (est)

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The dates of this event have not been confirmed. Created in 2015, the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is a 40-day event of camel races, pageants, and various entertainment and cultural events. The event includes the annual Camel Beauty Contest, which pays the winners over $66 million, making it highly competitive. Camel-raising is a bedouin essential going back over 3,000 years. They are used for transportation, milk, meat, and labor. Before the oil era (1938 forward), raising camels was considered the most prestigious of tribal activities. With climate change, camels are increasingly replacing cattle in the Middle East and Africa. Their diet is less constrained, and camels need less water while providing the same benefits to ranchers.

Africa

Dec

Smoking, Take a New Year's Resolution to Stop: December 17-February 9

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This is the year to become a quitter if you're a smoker finally. Each year PPSI sets aside six weeks to help you plan and finally kick this expensive and destructive habit during Take a New Year's Resolution to Stop Smoking weeks.

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Dec

Year of Jubilee (C): December 24, 2024 - December 24, 2025

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Jubilee years reflect the Roman Catholic Church's mercy, forgiveness, and spiritual renewal traditions while representing the continuity of Christian teachings and global unity. The most recent ordinary Jubilee occurred in 2000 under Pope John Paul II. The next four ordinary Years of Jubilee will be 2025, 2050, 2075 and 2100. The website and application for Jubilee 2025 will be active beginning in May 2024. HEBREW JUBILEE The concept of the Jubilee year originates in the Old Testament Book of Leviticus (Leviticus 25:8-13). It's an ancient practice with profound social, economic, and spiritual implications. It calls for a year of rest and resets every 50 years following seven cycles of seven years, known as "Shmita." A Jubilee year encompassed social justice, economic fairness, environmental stewardship, and spiritual renewal. It provided a model for periodic societal reset, ensuring that inequalities did not become entrenched over generations. For example, consider the Jubilee year tradition of releasing the land. Any land sold or acquired during the previous 49 years returns to its original owners or their heirs, thus ensuring land remained within families and tribes by preventing the permanent accumulation of land by a wealthy elite. The Jubilee year included traditions like the emancipation of Hebrew slaves. If a Hebrew had sold himself into slavery due to poverty, he or she was released. With rest informing the Jubilee year, even the land lay fallow—absent of being sown or reaped—thus allowing it to rejuvenate. Jubilee years were proclaimed by "shofar" on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). CATHOLIC JUBILEE The concept of a Jubilee in the context of the Roman Catholic Church is a special year of remission of sins and universal pardon, wherein pilgrims come to Rome from around the world to seek spiritual renewal. The tradition dates to 1300 AD when Pope Boniface VIII declared Christianity's first Jubilee year. In 1470 Pope Paul II initiated a Jubilee year every 25, thus ensuring every generation of mankind could experience at least one year of Jubilee within their lifetime. Occasionally, a Pope will declare an Extraordinary Jubilee outside the ordinary 25-year cycle. An example is the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, called by Pope Francis in 2015 in response to the global migrant crisis. The Jubilee year typically includes the ceremonial opening of the Holy Doors of the major basilicas in Rome on Christmas Eve, symbolizing an extraordinary pathway to salvation. Pilgrims also receive special indulgences tied to prayers, sacraments, and acts of charity. It ends the following year's Christmas Eve. The Jubilee year has often been an opportunity for the Church to emphasize social justice and humanitarian efforts. Debt forgiveness, aid to the poor, and focus on marginalized communities have often marked these years.

Africa

Dec

Give the Gift of Sight Month: December

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As the holidays approach, Give the Gift of Sight Month reminds everyone to check their eyes before the end of the year when Healthcare Spending Accounts reset. Additional actions you can take to protect your eyes include: Wear Sunglasses to protect your eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays; wear sunglasses that block 99 to 100% of both UV-A and UV-B radiation and lower your risk of cataracts and other eye damage. Limit Screen Time on digital devices can lead to eye strain. Take a break every 20 minutes and look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Adjust your screen's brightness, text size, and contrast to make it eye-friendly. Regular Check-ups, including eye exams, can detect issues early when they're most treatable. Optometrists recommend adults have a comprehensive eye exam every one to two years or more frequently if they have certain risk factors. When coupled with a balanced diet, regular exercise, and avoiding smoking, each of these steps can contribute significantly to maintaining your eye health.

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Dec

Year of Prayer (C): December 24, 2023- December 23, 2024

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Following a year dedicated to reflection on the Second Vatican Council, Pope Francis is designating 2024 as a year of prayer. Ahead of the Jubilee, dioceses around the world are being encouraged to promote initiatives emphasizing the importance of both individual and community prayer. One proposal includes organizing "pilgrimages of prayer" at the diocesan level.

These events would act as courses or 'schools of prayer,' with regular monthly or weekly meetings led by local bishops but open to all members of the Catholic Church. To further enrich this spiritual focus, the Dicastery for Evangelisation will release a series of "Prayer Notebooks." These publications will feature material drawn from the diverse forms of prayer found within the Catholic tradition, providing additional resources for faithful engagement during this special year.

Africa

Dec

Jumada al-Thani (M): December 3 - January 1

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Jumada al-Thani is the sixth month of the Islamic calendar. The Islamic year is a lunar calendar and is 11-12 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar year. PLEASE NOTE: Islamic holidays are determined in Mecca by the moon’s position and can occur a day earlier or later than posted.

Africa

Dec

Kwanzaa (1966): December 26 - January 1

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Kwanzaa, celebrated from December 26 to January 1, is a seven-day cultural festival to honor African heritage in African-American culture. Maulana Karenga, a professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, created Kwanzaa in 1966 as the first specifically African-American holiday following the Watts riots in Los Angeles, California, United States.

The name Kwanzaa comes from the phrase "matunda ya kwanza," which means "first fruits" in Swahili, a non-tribal African language spoken in much of the African continent.

The holiday is a time for reflection upon African American culture, community, and values guided by the Nguzo Saba, or seven principles.

The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa Are:

1. Unity (Umoja)
2. Self-determination (Kujichagulia)
3. Collective work and responsibility (Ujima)
4. Cooperative economics (Ujamaa)
5. Purpose (Nia)
6. Creativity (Kuumba)
7. Faith (Imani)

Each day of Kwanzaa emphasizes a different principle. Celebrants light a candle on the Kinara (candle holder), one for each day, and discuss the day's principle. The Kinara holds seven candles—three red on the left, three green on the right, and a black candle in the center.

Families gather during Kwanzaa to share feasts (Karamu), music, dance, poetry, narratives, and African drums. Traditional foods include dishes originating in various parts of Africa and commonly include ingredients like sesame seeds, peanuts (groundnuts), sweet potatoes, collard greens, and spicy sauces.

Gifts are exchanged primarily among children and are often educational or cultural items. The holiday culminates in a day of reflection where participants ask themselves and each other questions about their lives, their community, and their progression.

Over the years, Kwanzaa has spread in popularity in the United States and worldwide. The holiday fosters a sense of unity and pride among those of African descent. It is a secular holiday celebrated by people of any religious faith.

Africa

Dec

Hanukkah (J) (166 BC): December 25-January 2

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Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that starts on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, which usually falls during December. Hanukkah, the "Festival of Dedication" or "Festival of Lights," celebrates the military victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians in 166 BC.

It also honors the re-dedication of the holy temple in Jerusalem by the Hebrews after the Syrians defiled it. The primary custom during Hanukkah is to light a candle in a menorah on each night of the festival. The candles represent the miracle of the lamp oil, which lasted eight days, far longer than it should have during the battle. Gifts are exchanged each night of Hanukkah.

PLEASE NOTE: All Hebrew calendar months and celebrations begin and end at sundown. LEEP Calendar marks Jewish months and events on their first full day. Observant people of the faith will observe the beginning at sunset the day prior.

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