All - Leep Calendar

National Chocolate Brownie Day celebrates the chocolate brownie. A brownie is a cross between a cookie and a cake. It is dense like a cookie but cake-like in consistency. Brownies are typically cooked in a pan and cut into squares. Though the blond brownie had been around since 1896, the chocolate brownie made its official debut in print in 1898 in an advertisement in the Kansas City Journal. The following year, in 1899, the first chocolate brownie recipe would be published. The chocolate brownie originated with Palmer House Hotel in 1893, it is believed. Proprietor Bertha Palmer was looking for a dessert that women would like and would easily fit in a boxed lunch, and her chef came up with the chocolate brownie. By the mid-twentieth century, brownies would become one of North America's favorite snack-time desserts.

Africa

Dec

Constitution Day, (UZ)(1991): December 8

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Uzbekistan's Constitution Day marks the anniversary of December 8, 1991, when the people approved their new constitution. Constitution Day is a national holiday.

Africa

Dec

Feast of the Immaculate Conception (C): December 8

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The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is one of the most important Marian feasts in Roman Catholicism, praising the solemn belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary is one of the most influential figures in Christianity and Islam. Both faiths believe in the immaculate conception and revere Mary, though only Christians mark it as a holy day. Predominantly Catholic countries celebrate The Feast of the Immaculate Conception as a national holiday, and Panama considers this day Mother's Day. This observance occurs worldwide eight months before the feast of the Nativity of Mary.

Africa

Dec

Lady of Camarin Day (GU): December 8

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Santa Marian Kamalen, also referred to as Our Lady of Camarin, is the patron saint of Guam, a US territory associated with the continent of Oceana. Her feast day, Lady of Camarin Day is on the eighth of each year; this is also the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Guam's government provides a public holiday on the Monday closest.

Africa

Dec

Lard Day, Ntl.: December 8

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National Lard Day premiers in 2018 and promotes healthy, animal-based fats in cooking and baking. This day strategically falls on the day before National Pastry Day, and lard is what makes pastries flakey and tasty. With trans-fats, the manufactured synthetic fats, on their way out, people are rediscovering the versatility and flavor of natural animal-based fats like lard.

Africa

Dec

Moon—First Quarter: December 8

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The first quarter moon occurs when the moon is one-half illuminated by the sun. Each day forward increases the amount of the moon you can see. The 1st quarter typically occurs seven days after the new moon.

Africa

Dec

Pansexual Pride Day: December 8

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Pansexuals are romantic opportunists, preferring females one day, males another, and somewhere in between on additional days, depending on how they feel and what they believe is their "true self" minute by minute. Pansexual Pride Day celebrates these sexual and gender cameleons who believe sex and gender should never determine who a person loves.

Africa

Dec

Reflection Sunday (C): December 8

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Reflection Sunday, the second Sunday of Advent, is a Christian observance. In the church calendar, Advent is the month-long preparation leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ, marked on December 25 each year. Each Sunday of Advent has special significance, with specific sermons and traditions observed within various denominations. Reflection Sunday is a time for Christians to focus on what it means to be Christian and follow in the actions and footsteps of Christ, and reflection Sunday is a time of prayer, celebration, and feasting. Advent comes from the Latin word "advenio," which means "to come to." It refers to the coming of the Messiah in the birth of Jesus Christ to the Virgin Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem.

Africa

Dec

Take It in the Ear Day: December 8

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National Take It in the Ear Day is one of those silly holidays with no origin. "Take it in the ear" is an excellent way of saying, "Stick it up your ______." Celebrate as you see fit.

Africa

Dec

Anti-corruption Day, Intl.: December 9

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The United Nations General Assembly designated December 9 as International Anti-Corruption Day in 2005 to raise awareness of corruption and the Convention's role in combating and preventing it. Corruption is a complex social, political and economic phenomenon that affects all countries. Corruption undermines democratic institutions, slows economic development, and contributes to governmental instability. Corruption attacks the foundation of democratic institutions by distorting electoral processes, perverting the rule of law, and creating bureaucratic quagmires whose only reason for existing is the soliciting of bribes. Economic development slows when foreign direct investment is discouraged, and small businesses within the country often find it impossible to overcome the 'start-up costs' required because of corruption. International Anti-Corruption Day focuses on the causes of corruption and urges communities to unite to combat it for the good of all.

Africa

Dec

Christmas Card Day: December 9

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Christmas cards have been around since Sir Henry Cole commissioned the creation of such on May 1, 1843. John Callcott Horsley in London illustrated this first set of cards. Sir Henry created the penny post office in Britain. Queen Victoria had just commissioned the first stamps, which made posting a letter something even the ordinary citizen could afford. Coupled with the railroad, goods, services, and messages were suddenly able to move around the kingdom at a fraction of the cost. Prior to stamps, only the wealthy could afford to send letters via couriers. Sir Henry came up with the idea for Christmas cards as he was designing the systems for what would become Royal Mail and looking for ways to encourage the public to use the services. Within the next six years, Christmas cards would reach the United States. In 1875, German immigrant Louis Prang began printing and mass-producing them. Cards, and especially Christmas Cards, became big business. Finally, on January 10, 1910, Joyce Hall and his brothers formed Hallmark cards, beginning with just two shoeboxes full of postcards. In 1915 they bought their first printing press and started producing cards in-house. Hallmark would go on to define the industry and create many of the cards, holidays, and traditions we see today.

Africa

Dec

Genocide Victims Day, Intl. (1948): December 9

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International Victims of Genocide Day has the longest official name of any event in the calendar: International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and the Prevention of this Crime. This day marks the adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide by the United Nations and its member states on December 9, 1948. The organization began observing this day in 2015.

The terms "massacre" and "genocide" both refer to extreme acts of violence, but they differ significantly in scope, intent, and legal definition.

Massacre—A massacre refers to a single event or series of events where there's a deliberate and violent killing of at least 50 individuals, though culturally, most mass murders are referred to as such today. Massacres can be politically, ethnically, or religiously motivated, or they can arise from other sources of conflict. A massacre occurs over a short period (hours or days) and may or may not have intent or premeditation. Massacres, when occurring during conflict or occupation, usually fall under war crimes.

Genocide—Genocide is a term that has a specific legal definition under international law for the large-scale intentional murder of one group of people by another. It denotes a systematic effort by one party to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, economic, or religious group of people. The excuses, propaganda, and manipulation used to justify genocide are irrelevant.

The United Nations defines genocide as any of the following acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, economic, racial, or religious group, including one or more of the following:

Killing members of the targeted group.
Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the targeted group—including bombing, raping, torturing, using nefarious psychology, beating, humiliation and degradation.
Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part—including the deliberate withholding or destruction of food, water, medical care, and/or shelter.
Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group—such as forced sterilization, forced surgery, using chemicals to alter biology, castration, or beating pregnant women to cause miscarriages.
Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group—as has been done with war orphans and child prisoners historically.

While the act of genocide includes mass killings, not all mass killings are genocides; genocide requires explicit intent coupled with actions focused on murdering and eradicating the targeted group of people. Genocides can span weeks, years, decades, or even centuries and are a Crime Against Humanity, the worst crime possible under International Law.

International Human Rights Day is December 10. National Human Rights Week in the United States is December 10-17.

Africa

Dec

Green Monday (E-commerce): December 9

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Most folks have heard about Black Friday. How familiar are you with Green Monday? Green Monday is the heaviest online shopping day of the year and always falls in Mid-December. It's an invisible line, basically the last day to shop for Christmas online and still be assured your packages will arrive on time before Christmas without having to pay for express shipping. The term "Green Monday" was coined in 2007 by eBay.

Africa

Dec

Independence/Republic Day, (TZ)(1961): December 9

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Independence and Republic Day in Tanzania marks the anniversary of December 9, 1961, the day the nation achieved independence from Britain. In 1964, the then-known country of Tanganyika joined with Zanzibar to become the new nation of Tanzania. Republic Day is a national holiday.

Africa

Dec

Pastry Day, Ntl.: December 9

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National Pastry Day celebrates all pastries, and indulging is the best way to celebrate! National Pastry Day is an unofficial event with no sponsor.

Africa