All - Leep Calendar

What better way to spend the shortest day of the year than curled up in your favorite chair, reading a book from beginning to end? That is what Celebrate Short Fiction Day has been all about since it first appeared in 2012.

Africa

Dec

Shorts Day: December 21

06:20 AM | -

Created in 1986, Shorts Day is a day to flaunt the first day of winter on the solstice by wearing shorts to honor the shortest day of the year. Just be sure to wear a coat if you go outside! Have fun.

Africa

Dec

Summer Begins (Southern Hemisphere): December 21

06:20 AM | -

December 21 in the southern hemisphere is the day summer officially begins.

Africa

Dec

Winter Begins, Solstice (Northern): December 21

06:20 AM | -

In the northern hemisphere, winter begins on the winter solstice. A solstice is an occurrence when the sun is farthest from the equator. During the winter solstice, the most southern point of the Earth points towards the sun, giving cooler temperatures north of the equator.

Africa

Dec

Yalda (IR): December 21

06:20 AM | -

Yalda, Shab-e Chelleh, or Shab-e Yalda could be considered equivalent to the "Thanksgiving Day" celebration in the Persian world, dominated by Iran but including Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Kurdistan, Tajikistan, and non-Islamic communities in Turkey. The winter solstice, the longest night of the year, is a time for family and friends to gather together and feast. Yalda originated between the second and third centuries AD, 300 years before Islam, within pagan communities distressed by the celebrations of Christians moving into the area. Over the years and centuries, it became part of the social fabric, and in 2008 the government of Iran officially recognized Yalda on its List of National Treasures.

Africa

Dec

Yule: December 21

06:20 AM | -

"Troll the ancient yuletide carols, fa la la la la..." If you've been in a Christian country during the holiday season, no doubt you've heard a reference to Yule in the carol "Deck the Halls." This event is the song's topic. Yule is the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, the shortest day of the year. Pagan faiths previously, and Wiccans today, believe the Yule, or Alban Athan, occurs on the year's longest night. The faithful believe this night marks the sun god's death and the earth goddess's rebirth. Feasting, bonfires, and singing mark celebrations. Enter Rome. Pope Julius I, who shepherded the Christian faith between February 6, 337 - April 12, 352, chose December 25 as the birthday of Jesus Christ. The date coincided with the pagan Roman holiday "Dies natalis solis invicti," which translates to "the birthday of the invincible Sun," permitting those who hadn't converted to celebrate their traditions with others, including caroling, feasting, and fire. Fire brings us to the symbol of the Yule log, which originated in Scandinavia. The Yule log was an entire tree set alight on the solstice to entice the sun to return. The tree would burn for twelve days, and its ashes were folded into the soil at spring planting to ensure a bountiful harvest. In modern times it is tradition to burn a large log on the fire on Christmas Eve. Streaming services also provide a Yule log screen saver for those without a fireplace.

Africa

Dec

Be a Lover of Silence Day: December 22

06:20 AM | -

As the hecticness of the holiday season comes to a climax, take some time for yourself and find a quiet place and be. Be a Lover of Silence Day is your opportunity to give yourself a mini-vacation from sound.

Africa

Dec

Date-Nut Bread Day, Ntl.: December 22

06:20 AM | -

Date Nut Bread Day celebrates the non-yeast, cake-like sweet bread first seen in the US during the early 20th century.

Africa

Dec

Forefather's Day (1620): December 22

06:20 AM | -

National Forefathers' Day is celebrated in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on December 22 and marks the anniversary of the pilgrims' arrival on December 21, 1620. The date was first celebrated in 1769. Why is it on the 22nd instead of the 21st? Somebody didn't count right. Until 1752, the Julian Calendar marked time in America. After 1752, the Gregorian was used. When someone decided to figure out the date in the Gregorian calendar, they miscounted the difference and established the day on December 22 instead of December 21. Oops! That oops continues to this day.

Africa

Dec

Moon—Third Quarter: December 22

06:20 AM | -

Today is the third quarter of the moon, meaning it is halfway between the full and new moon.

Africa

Dec

Saturnalia: December 17-23

06:20 AM | -

Saturnalia is a festival, which originated in ancient Rome, and celebrates the god of agriculture, Saturnalia. It is partly due to this pagan celebration that the Christian holiday of Christmas occurs on December 25.

Africa

Dec

Family Roots Day: December 23

06:20 AM | -

In the days preceding Christmas, families begin to gather. Stories are swapped, legends made, and the inevitable questions from children about where they came from come up. Family Roots Day, an initiative of the Mormon faith, is set aside each year to explore each family's unique genealogy. Please take this opportunity to map your family tree and help your children trace their roots.

Africa

Dec

Festivus: December 23

06:20 AM | -

Festivus originated in a 1997 episode of "Seinfeld," an American television show. It's celebrated within multi-faith cultures and large cities and provides a reason for people of various faiths to celebrate the season together. The episode goes as such: George Costanza's father, Frank, is the exact person to "blame" for Festivus. Jerry says that when George was a kid, Frank got tired of all the commercialism associated with typical holidays, so he decided to create his own. Frank said: "Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way. A new holiday was born: Festivus for the rest of us!" Now, one might ask: what does a Happy Festivus mean? Well, it includes a Festivus dinner, an unadorned aluminum Festivus pole, practices such as the "Airing of Grievances" and "Feats of Strength," and the labeling of easily explainable events as "Festivus miracles." Basically, Festivus is a reason to have a party not associated with a religion or ethnicity in which all are welcome!

Africa

Dec

Human Light Celebration: December 23

06:20 AM | -

Created in 2001 by the New Jersey Humanist Network as a response and alternative to the Christian celebration of Christmas and Jewish observance of Hanukah, Humanlight Celebration promotes humanist values of tolerance, compassion, empathy, honesty, free inquiry, reason, and rationality. Observed by atheists and humanists annually.

Africa

Dec

Pfeffernusse Cookies Day: December 23

06:20 AM | -

Pfeffernüsse Cookies Day celebrates Pfeffernüsse, the tiny spice cookies originating from Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands. These little cookies are synonymous with Christmas and the holiday season in North America.

Africa