December (listen) is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. The month is a unit of Time, used with Calendars which is approximately as long as some natural period related to the motion of the Moon; A year (from Old English gēr) is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the Orbit of the Earth around the Sun The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used Calendar in the world today A day (symbol d is a unit of Time equivalent to 24 Hours and the duration of a single Rotation of planet Earth with respect to the

December begins (astrologically) with the sun in the sign of Sagittarius and ends in the sign of Capricorn. The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. Sagittarius is the ninth Astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the constellation of Sagittarius. Capricorn is the tenth Astrological sign in the Zodiac, originating from the constellation of Capricornus. Astronomically speaking, the sun begins in the constellation of Ophiuchus, which is the only zodiacal constellation that is not counted as an astrological sign, and ends in the constellation of Sagittarius. Ophiuchus (Ὀφιοῦχος ˌɒfiːˈuːkəs is one of the 88 Constellations and was also one of the 48 listed by Ptolemy.

In Latin, decem means "ten". December was also the tenth month in the Roman calendar until a monthless winter period was divided between January and February. The Roman calendar changed its form several times in the time between the foundation of Rome and the fall of the Roman Empire. Events in January Holidays New Year's Day - January 1 Coptic Christmas - January 7 Overview February was named after the Latin term februum, which means purification, via the purification ritual Februa held on February 15 in the

December's flower is the narcissus or holly. A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also Holly ( Ilex) is a Genus of about 600 Species of Flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only December's birthstones are turquoise, lapis lazuli, zircon, topaz (blue), or tanzanite. Birthday is the name given to the date of the anniversary of a person's birth Turquoise is an opaque blue-to-green Mineral that is a hydrous Phosphate of Copper and Aluminium, with the Chemical Zircon is a Mineral belonging to the group of nesosilicates. Its chemical name is Zirconium silicate and its corresponding chemical formula is Topaz is a Silicate mineral of Aluminium and Fluorine with the Chemical formula Al 2 Si[[oxygen O]]4( Tanzanite is the blue/purple variety of the Mineral Zoisite which was discovered in the Meralani (Merelani Hills of Northern Tanzania in 1967 near

December is the month with the shortest daylight hours of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest daylight hours of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.

December starts on the same day of the week as September. Events in September It is the start of the academic year in many countries in the Northern Hemisphere.

Events in December

• Independence Day of Romania (1 December)
• World AIDS Day (December 1)
• National Day of United Arab Emirates (December 2)
• Sinterklaas in The Netherlands (December 5)
• Father's Day (King's Birthday) in Thailand (December 5)
• Independence Day in Finland (December 6)
• Constitution Day in Spain (December 6)
• Pearl Harbor Day in the United States (December 7)
• Fukuoka Marathon is held on first Sunday in December. An Independence Day is an annual celebration commemorating the Anniversary of a Nation 's assumption of independent Statehood, usually after ceasing Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Sinterklaas (also called Sint-Nicolaas in Dutch Nikolaas2ogg}} and Saint Nicolas in French is a traditional holiday figure in the Netherlands, The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. Finland 's Independence Day (Finnish itsenäisyyspäivä, Swedish självständighetsdag) is a national public holiday held on Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev The Constitution of Spain is regarded as the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Events 1060 - Béla I of Hungary is crowned king of Hungary 1240 - Mongol invasion of Rus: Kiev The attack on Pearl Harbor (or Hawaii Operation, as it was called by the Imperial General Headquarters) was a surprise Military strike conducted by The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways The Fukuoka International Open Marathon Championship, held in Fukuoka, Japan, is a prominent international marathon race established in 1947
• Día de la Madre en Panamá (Mother's Day) in Panama. Mother's Day is a day honoring Mothers celebrated on various days in many places around the world Panama, officially the Republic of Panama (República de Panamá) is the southernmost country of Central America. (December 8)
• Day of the Mary Immaculate Conception. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. (December 8)
• Constitution Day in Romania. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Constitution Day is a Holiday to honor the Constitution of a country Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania (December 8)
• In the Ásatrú religion, Egil Skallagrimsson's Day (December 9) is a day of remembrance for the Viking hero. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe.
• Human Rights Day (December 10)
• Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe, or Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, in Mexico (December 12)
• Independence Day (Jamhuri Day) in Kenya (December 12)
• Saint Lucy (December 13)
• Honolulu Marathon is held on second Sunday in December. Human Rights Day' is celebrated annually across the world on 10 December. Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V Our Lady of Guadalupe, also called the Virgin of Guadalupe (Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe or Virgen de Guadalupe is a 16th century Roman Catholic Mexican The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian An Independence Day is an annual celebration commemorating the Anniversary of a Nation 's assumption of independent Statehood, usually after ceasing Jamhuri Day is a national holiday in Kenya, celebrated on 12 December each year The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian This article is about the Catholic saint For other meanings see Saint Lucia (disambiguation Saint Lucy of Syracuse also known as Saint Lucia Events 1294 - Saint Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five months Celestine hoped to return to his previous life The Honolulu Marathon is the world's sixth largest marathon. It takes place annually in Honolulu, Hawaii on the second Sunday in December
• Bill of Rights Day (United States). A Bill of Rights is a list or summary of rights that are considered important and essential by a group of people The United States of America —commonly referred to as the (December 15)
• Zamenhof Day (December 15)
• The solstice called the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere occurs on dates varying from December 20 to December 22 (in UTC). Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Zamenhof Day ( Zamenhofa Tago in Esperanto) is celebrated on December 15, the Birthday of Esperanto creator L Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Solstices occur twice a year when the tilt of the Earth's axis is most oriented toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun to reach its northernmost and southernmost extremes Winter is one of the four Seasons of Temperate zones Calculated astronomically, it begins on the Solstice and ends on the Equinox Northern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is North of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' Summer is one of the four Temperate Seasons Summer marks the warmest time of year with the longest days Southern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is South of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Events 1790 - The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Suvorov and his Russian armies
• In the pagan wheel of the year the summer solstice is the time of Litha and the winter solstice is that of Yule. Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice Solstices occur twice a year when the tilt of the Earth's axis is most oriented toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun to reach its northernmost and southernmost extremes Yule is a winter festival historically celebrated primarily in northern Europe but now celebrated in many other countries in various forms
• The Emperor's Birthday, a national holiday in Japan (December 23)
• Fictional holiday, Festivus (December 23)
• Christmas Eve (December 24)
• Christmas (December 25)
• Crimbo (Kingdom of loathing December 1st through December 26th)
• Boxing Day (December 26)
• Kwanzaa (December 26 to January 1)
• Proclamation Day in South Australia (December 28)
• Philippines - Rizal Day (December 30)
• New Year's Eve (December 31)

See also

• Historical anniversaries
• Undecimber

External links