HOLIDAYS

The Story behind this celebration demonstrates how the Catholic faith gained importance in the hearts of the Mexican people. It is a story of miracles and faith that marks an important change in the history of Mexico.

The Spaniards, after they conquered Mexico, had in mind the goal of converting the indigenous indians into catholicism. But the spaniards encountered many difficulties because the Mexican people had existing strong beliefs in their many gods. It wasn’t until the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Juan Diego that this started to change.

Juan Diego was a young indigenous Indian walking toward the Hill of Tepeyac on December 12th 1531 when he was stopped by the appearance of the Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary appearing to Juan Diego was a young woman with black hair and dark skin which looked more like an indigenous person. She ordered Juan Diego to go to the Bishop and ask him to build a church at the Hill of Tepeyac. Juan Diego then ran to the Bishop to tell him what the Virgin Mary had told him. The Bishop didn’t believe what this young man was telling him and decided to ignore the petition.

The Virgin Mary appeared again in front of Juan Diego and told him to collect flowers from the top of the hill, but because it was December Juan Diego knew that there was not going to be any flowers at the rocky hill. Upon reaching the top of the hill, Juan Diego was surprised to see that it was covered with colorful and beautiful flowers. Juan Diego, as he was asked to, collected the flowers using his overcoat and ran again to see the Bishop.

Juan Diego gave the coat full of flowers to the bishop, and here the bishop discovered the image of Virgin Mary’s picture was miraculously traced on the coat. Seeing both the unseasonal flowers and the image of the Virgin, the Bishop realized Juan Diego had told him the truth, and The Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe was built on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico City. 

The basilica at Tepeyac is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world, and the world’s third most-visited sacred site

The region of modern-day Burkina Faso did not attract colonial attention until the late nineteenth century. By 1898, the kingdoms that now make up the majority of the region corresponding to modern-day Burkina Faso had become a French protectorate.

These territories were added to the Upper Senegal and Burkina Faso colony of French West Africa in 1904. Over the years, regions within the area were split apart into different colonies, before Upper Volta was created on September 4th 1947 becoming an overseas territory of the French Union.

On December 11th 1958, The Republic of Upper Volta became a self-governing autonomous republic within the French Community.

It was nearly two years before Upper Volta gained its full independence from France in August 1960. Upper Volta changed its name to Burkina Faso in August 1984.

A WOMAN is in a desperate race against time to think of a big-ticket item her husband can buy her for Christmas before he goes rogue.

Jess, aged 42, not her real name or age, was told yesterday ‘if there’s anything you want for Christmas I need to know this week, otherwise I’ll get you whatever’ and is frantically searching for the right item to stem a tide of crap.

She said: “It’s not that the gifts he gets me are entirely bad. It’s just they’re very ‘generic woman’.

“‘Here’s a scented candle, here’s some chocolates, here’s a bottle of artisanal gin. Does that take me up to the spending cap yet? Alright here’s a scarf.’ I’ve got five days or less to find something before he buys Expensive Secret Santa.

“It’s f**king stressful. I feel like I come across stuff I’d like which costs £200 every day, but put me against the clock and suddenly every website’s bare. No way am I getting any work done today. This is a quest.

“Wasn’t there a coat? Why didn’t I bookmark that coat I liked? Do I need shoes? He said this week but his patience can run out at any time and I’ll end up with a spa voucher and an air fryer.”

Husband Anthony, 28, not his real name or age, said: “Yeah, she didn’t give me any ideas so I’ve got her a spa voucher and an air fryer.”

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10th 1948, was the result of the experience of the second world war. It is considered a milestone document in the history of human rights.

After the end of the war, and the creation of the United Nations, the international community vowed never again to allow atrocities like those of that conflict happen again.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the most translated document in the world, available in more than 500 languages.

Considered in Peru and neighbouring countries as the end of the battle for independence from the crown of Spain, the Battle of Ayacucho is remembered as the decisive military encounter during the Peruvian War of Independence, which secured Peruvian nationhood and ensured the same for the other emerging South American states.

This battle took place on the morning of the 9th December 1824 on a high plateau near Ayacucho, Peru. The name Ayacucho comes from the indigenous Quechua word meaning ‘corner of the dead’.

The Spanish royalist army numbering over 9000 soldiers was commanded by native Frenchman Jose de Canterac and had 10 times as many artillery pieces as their foe. The revolutionary forces, which were made up of Peruvians as well as Venezuelans, Colombians, Argentinians, and Chileans numbered about 6000 and were under the leadership of de Sucre. 

It was noted that just before the battle, many officers and troops crossed over to embrace their friends and brothers in the opposing battle lines. Sucre opened the attack with an unexpected cavalry charge led by Colombian José María Córdoba, and in a short time the royalist army had been routed, resulting in almost 2,000 fatalities. The battle which lasted approximately four hours ended with the defeat of the royalists while the losses of the patriot army amounted to 310 fatalities and 709 wounded.

During the fighting, the Spanish viceroy José de la Serna e Hinojosa and his generals were taken prisoner which resulted in immediate calls for talks and terms of surrender. The terms of surrender stipulated that all Spanish forces be withdrawn from both Peru and Charcas (Bolivia); the last of them departed from Callao, the port of Lima, in January 1826.

The Battle of the Falkland Islands was a First World War naval action between the British Royal Navy and Imperial German Navy on 8 December 1914 in the South Atlantic.

After the German at Coronel the previous month, Admiral von Spee planned to destroy the British coaling station at Port Stanley on East Falkland in the South Atlantic. Spee found a much superior British force in port as he approached. Within hours he was dead.

The Battle of the Falkland Islands has been called the most decisive naval battle of the war, because it gave a great morale boost to the Allied war effort at a dire time

Saint Ambrose was an archbishop of Milan during the 4th century.

He became an important ecclesiastical figure of his time and was one of the four original doctors of the Church.

Saint Ambrose was sometimes known as the ‘Honey-Tongued Doctor’. He got this nickname from the story that when he was a baby, it was said that a swarm of bees started crawling around his mouth. However, instead of stinging him, they left honey on his lips.

This tale also explains why in addition to Milan, he is the patron saint of beekeepers and candlemakers.

Finland had been part of the Russian Empire since 1809. Following the Russian revolution and the defeats in the First World War, movements within Finland pushed for independence from Russia and on December 6th 1917, the parliament declared Finland as an independent state.

The Finnish parliament’s vote to adopt the Declaration of Independence on December 6, 1917, was not unanimous. It passed narrowly due to political divisions between non-socialists and social-democrats over who should hold power, reflecting the tense political climate of the time.

The tradition of placing two candles in windows at 6 PM is well-known, but its origins are debated. One theory suggests it began in the 19th century as a covert signal to young Finnish men traveling to Sweden or Germany for military training as jägers, indicating safe houses where they could hide from Russian authorities. Another story ties it to poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg’s birthday, used as a subtle protest against Russian rule.

Since it was introduced by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in 1988, the first Friday in December has been set aside to honour farmers and fishermen for their efforts in feeding the nation and recognise the vital contributions of a strong agricultural sector to the prosperity of the Ghanaian economy.

1982 until 1984 brought an agricultural crisis to Ghana. During these years, the country experienced a severe drought unprecedented in its history. The drought resulted in deadly bushfires in 1984, which stripped the land, resulting in little vegetation cover. 

There was a serious food shortage because the bushfires severely damaged cocoa farms and food crops. However, Ghanaians were given some reprieve in 1984 when the National Mobilisation Squads, or Mobisquads, were formed to help rescue the situation. The Mobisquads transplanted cocoa trees after clearing the farms.

To encourage the importance of farming, and as a reminder of the risks involved, National Farmer’s Day was created.

King George (Siaosi) Taufa’ahau Tupou I was Tonga’s first Christian King and he is seen as a key figure in the foundation of Modern Tonga.

Tupou was born around 1797. December 4th is said to be his birthday, but that is not definitive and may have been assumed from the public holiday which as mentioned, celebrates his ascension to the Tongan throne in 1845.

Tupou adopted the name Siaosi, the Tongan version of George, after King George III of the United Kingdom, when he was baptized in 1831.

He was declared King in 1845 following a consolidation of the various tribes that ruled over the area of Tonga. Tupou’s legacy is his help in spreading Christianity across the Pacific and his leadership in avoiding foreign domination from European nations. Despite a close relationship with Britain, Tonga never relinquished its sovereignty unlike many other countries in the region.

Tupou passed away at the age of 96 in 1893 after catching a cold.

Francis was born in Xavier, in the Kingdom of Navarre on April 7th 1506. He was born into a rich farming family, whose fortunes were severely damaged during the war with Aragon.

Francis went to study in Paris, where he met Ignatius of Loyola, who would convince Francis to follow a religious life and become a priest. Francis was reluctant at first, leading Ignatius to ask the now-famous question: “What will it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

Along with Ignatius, Francis became one of the founders of the Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits. They made private vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to the Pope. They also vowed to go to the Holy Land to convert “infidels.”

Francis left Rome for the Indies in March 1540. His future as arguably the greatest Christian missionary since St. Paul began almost by accident. He wasn’t originally chosen to be a missionary, but one of the two originally selected by Ignatius fell ill, so Ignatius asked Francis to go as a replacement.

Over the next 12 years, Francis led a series of overseas missions, mainly in the Portuguese Empire of the time – Mozambique, Malacca and notably Goa. He was the first Christian missionary to travel Japan and on to Borneo and the Moluccan Islands. For his evangelist work, he became known as the “Apostle of the Indies”.

Francis was waiting to travel to take his missionary work to mainland China when he died from a fever on Shangchuan Island on December 2nd 1552.

Francis was made a saint by Gregory XV on March 12th 1622.

Saint Francis Xavier’s relics are kept in a silver casket, inside the Bom Jesus Basilica in Goa.

It is generally a two day holiday, with December 3rd also a holiday but the second date for the holiday may fall before or after December 2nd depending on what day of the week December 2nd falls on.

As is often the case in the United Arab Emirates, public sectors may get a longer public holiday break for this holiday than workers in the private sector.

The holiday commemorates the United Arab Emirate’s formal nationalisation from the British Protectorate Treaties as a result of the expiration of a British treaty on December 2nd 1971. This lead to the eventual, federal unification of seven sheikhdoms in the former Trucial States in 1971 to form the modern-day country. The first president of the federation was Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Schools in the U.A.E. celebrate National Day by holding national events and celebrations where local children will dress up in the cultural “thoub and “kandoora” and perform the “youlah” and folkloric dances and organize cultural contests.

The Costa Rican Civil War in the spring of 1948 was the bloodiest event of the 20th century in this Central American country. It is fitting that after the war, President José Figueres Ferrer drafted a new constitution, guaranteeing universal suffrage and the dismantling of the military.

On December 1st 1948, the armed forces of Costa Rica were formally abolished.

President Carlos Alvarado signed the law that establishes the new holiday on May 19th 2020 in a ceremony, held at the National Museum.

The signing act was accompanied by the song to the Abolition of the Army by the Costa Rican composer Carlos Guzmán, which is sung at each commemoration of this historic milestone.

The museum was once the Bellavista Fortress, where military recruits trained and weapons were stored. After the army was abolished, President Figueres offered the fortress to the University of Costa Rica, and by 1950 it had become the permanent venue for the National Museum.

Commenting on the new holiday, Alvarado said: “The resources that the government of the republic would have historically had to invest in a defence system based on weapons were wisely diverted to direct expenses for the well-being of Costa Ricans.”

British involvement in the region began in the middle of the nineteenth century with Aden seen as a key strategic location, becoming the Aden Protectorate in 1874.

After the second world war, the cry for Arab nationalism rang out across the region, with anti-British resistance growing in Aden, becoming both more organised and violent.

On December 10th 1963, a state of emergency was declared in Aden. Guerrilla attacks by the National Liberation Front (NLF) over a sustained period during the next four years forced the British into an early withdrawal from the region on November 30th 1963, with the NLF declaring the independent state of the People’s Republic of South Yemen, comprising Aden and the former Protectorate of South Arabia.

The Republic of Yemen is the second-largest country in the Arabian Peninsula.

During the latter part of the 17th century, Yemen was the only coffee producer in the world. The coffee plant is a native of the Yemeni desert. Local Sufi mystics were the first to brew into a drink to keep them awake while praying.

Vanuatu is an island nation of 83 small volcanic islands in the South Pacific Ocean, with a population of about 270,000. Despite these relatively small numbers, the people speak an impressive 113 indigenous languages – it is the country with the highest density of languages per capita in the world.

And although the majority of the population have the same ethnic background, the tribes that developed on the different islands also have their own unique customs and traditions as well as languages.

Since the start of the 20th century, the islands had been jointly administered by France and the United Kingdom and known as the New Hebrides. In the 1970s the movement for independence gained momentum with the establishment of the first political party, the New Hebrides National Party (renamed as the Vanua’aku Party in 1974). The  Vanua’aku Party proclaimed the creation of a provisional government in 1977. When the leaders of the party tried to raise a flag over the headquarters in Port Vila, the action was resisted by the police leading to violence and the loss of life.

The awakening of this political spirit and the ensuing strife led to Unity Day being established as a public holiday. Its aim is to engender a spirit of national unity among Vanuatu’s very diverse population and remind the country’s diverse population of its shared struggles and interests.

To celebrate this day, representatives from all of Vanuatu’s tribal groups come to the capital city of Port Vila.

High chiefs from the different islands attend the festivities, which include performances by native dancers in their traditional dress and a parade. The holiday’s festivities typically include picnics, music concerts and sporting events.

In 2004 President Kalkot Mataskelekele asked that church leaders spend time during the day in special prayer for national unity.

The name of Vanuatu comes from two local words meaning “home” and “stand” was adopted on independence in 1980.