DECEMBER

DECEMBER
DECEMBER 2007
CAPRICORNUS the Goat Dec. 23 to Jan. 20
DECEM
December is the Twelfth and last month of the year, It was the tenth month on the ancient Roman calendar, and was called decem which means ten. It became the twelfth month when Julius Caesar changed the calendar. He added two more days to DECEMBER making it 31 days. It originally had 29 days.
Special Days
People celebrate many holidays in December. They prepare for New Year's Eve parties on the last day of December. The people of New England celebrate December 21 as Forefathers' Day, in honor of the Pilgrim landing at Plymouth in 1620. The Duch, Belgians, and Germans celebrate December 6 as the Feast of St. Nicholas. They exchance gifts on this day , rather then on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Russians and Greeks also observe the Feast of St. Nicholas as an early part of the Christmas season. Other days in December include ther Feast of St. Stephen on December 26, the Feast od St. John on December 27, and the Feast of the Holy Innocents on December 28. Kwanza A seven day festival is celebrated From December 26 to January 1 in the tradition of African harvest festivals that honors the family. First celebrated in 1996, it is observed annually by some black familys.

December Symbols.

The Flower considered for December are the Narcissus and Holly . The Turquoise and the Zircon (formerly the Lapis Lazuli), are the birthstones for December representing Prosperity. The Narcissus is the name of a large group of earlyu spring flowers with lovely blossoms. They were named from the legendary Greek youth Narcissus the son of the river god Cephisus in ancient Greek mythology. Narsissus belongs to the famliy Amaryllidaceae genus Narcissus, species pseudo-narcissus
The Turquoise is an opaque, sem- precious stone in vrried shades of green and blue. The gem occurs in rock deposits in Turkistan and Asia Minor, and in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada, Its name means Turkish stone. Turquiose consists cheifly of hydrous phosphate of alluminum. Small quantities of iron give it a greenish tint, and the presence of copper gives the stone its blue color. The Egyptians used it as early as 4000 B.C. In th Orient the gem was worn as an amulet to ward off illnes and misfortune. It was popular in the United States in the 1800's and today is often seen in Indian style jewelry.
Quotations

"twas the night before Crristmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings wre hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
Clement Clarke Moore
Heap on more wood! The wind is chill;
But let it whistle as it will,
We'll keep our Christmas merry still.
Sir Walter Scott
The sun that breif December day
Rose cheerless over hills of gray,
And darkly circled, gave at noon
A sadder sight than wanning moon.
John Greenleaf Whittier
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Hery Wadsworth Longdfellow

Activities

Winter begins in the Northern half of the world. Some people call it " the frosty month. " But winter does not begin until December 21 or 22, and most of December is warmer than other winter months. On the first day of winter, the sun reaches the solstice, when it appears to have gone farthest south. It is the shortes day of the year. The Romans celebrated the sun's return with a holidy called Saturnalia. They made Vesta, the goddess of the hearth, and a symbol of the home as a special deity of December. The Druids of northern Europe used mistletoe in a December festival to the sun god.
Important November Events

Dec. 1 Hudson's Bay Company transferred government rights to the Dominion od Canada, 1869
Dec. 2 President Monroe, proclamed the Monroe Doctrine is his n\m,essage to Congress, 1859
Scientist achieved the first controlled atomic chain reaction, in Chicago, 1942

Dec. 3 Illinois admitted to the Union, 1818
Dec. 4 George Washington retired as commander in Chief of the Continental Army, 1783
Dec. 5 Martin Van Buren 8 th President of the United States, born at Kinderhook, N.Y., 1782
Walt Disney, American producer of animated cartoons and other motion pictrures, born 1901
AFL and CIO merged, 1955
Dec. 6 Dave Brubeck, American jazz pianist, born 1920
Dec. 7 Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor, 1941 Delaware ratifies the Constitution, 1787
Dec. 8 The Americian Federation of Labor (AFL) organized, 1886
Dec. 9 Joel Chandler Harris, American author of the " Unlce Remus stories," born 1848
Dec. 10 Mississippi admited to the Union, 1817
Dec. 11 Indiana admitted to the Union, 1816
Dec. 12 Pennsylvania, ratified the Constitution, 1787
Dec. 14 George Washington died at Mt. Vernon,1799
Alabama admitted to the Union, 1819
Dec. 15 The first 10 amendments to the Constitution, included the Bill of Rights, ratified, 1791
Dec. 16 Ludwig van Beethoven born 1770
Boston Tea Party, 1773
Dec. 17 Orville Wright made th first heavier-than air flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C., 1903
Dec. 18 New Jersey ratified the Constitution, 1786
Admendment 13 to the Constritution, ending slavery, proclaimed, 1865
Dec. 19 Continental Army camped for the winter at Valley Forge, Pa., 1777
Dec. 20 The U.S. took over Louisana, 1803
Dec. 21 Joseph Stalin, Russian dictator, born 1879
Dec. 22 James Oglethorpe, founder of Georgia, born 1696
Dec. 23 U. S. Federal Reserve System established, 1913
Dec. 24 United States and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812,1814.
Dec. 25 Christmas, celebrated in Christian countries as the birthday of Jesus Christ.
Washington and his men crossed the Delaware River at Trenton, N.J., 1776
Dec. 26 Battle of Trenton, 1776
Dec. 27 Louis Pasteur, French chemist, born 1846
Dec. 28 Woodro Wilson, 28 th President of the United States, born at Staunton, Va., 1856
Iowa admitted to the Union, 1846
Dec. 29 Andrew Johnson, 17 th President of the United States, born at Raleigh, N.C., 1808
Texas admitted to the Union, 1845
Charles Goodyear, American inventor, born 1800

Dec. 30 U.S. aquired the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico, 1853
Rudyard Kipling, British novelist and story teller, born 1865
Dec. 31 Henri Maltisse, French painter, born 1869

May This Year Bring You and Your Family Joy and Happiness

JOHN
SHUMANOW
CALENDAR FACTSLearn more about our Calendar