Still more monthlies

INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S DAY
Date:	Second Sunday in December
Origin:	Children's Day was begun in 1856 by Reverend Dr. Charles Leonard, pastor of the Universalist Church of the Redeemer in Chelsea, Massachusetts: Dr. Leonard held a special service dedicated to, and for the children. And what did Dr Leonard name this day dedicated to children?  Rose Day.  But then they changed it, to . . . Flower Sunday.  Later it became Children's Day. Children's Day was first officially declared a national holiday by the Republic of Turkey in 1929.
Comments: There are numerous Children’s Day dates thoughout the world for different countries. For UNICEF: International Children's Day is celebrated every year in the second Sunday in December. This is a joint initiative between UNICEF and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. After the `World Conference for the Well Being of Children', held in Geneva, Switzerland in 1925, governments around the world decided to specify a day as Children's Day to draw attention to children's issues.

  

NATIONAL PASTRY DAY
Date:	December 9
Origin:	Unknown
Comments: The day is self-explanatory.  Go buy an apple turnover, a flaky pastry pie a cinnamon whirl, a vanilla slice, profiteroles, strudel, Danish pastries, pies of all fillings, baklava, quiche, eclairs, or a Cornish pasty. From daysoftheyear.com: The first ever pastries date way back into ancient times when the likes of the ancient Romans and Greeks made filo-style pastries as meals and treats. The main ingredients in hot countries were flour, oil, and honey, which would not melt easily in the heat of the day. We still have these kinds of treats these days with the Turkish favorite Baklava, a sweet pastry made from filo-type pastry, nuts, and lashings of honey. In medieval times, things got a bit more serious when pastry chefs came on the scene, using shortening and butter to make a thicker, more robust pastry that we see frequently in pies. Pastry became quite a serious business, with demand for pies and sweets always high amongst royalty and peasants alike. Throughout the years, plenty of pastry types have emerged; choux, Danish, phyllo (which is more commonly known as ‘filo’ pastry), and on the back of that, hundreds of delicious pastry-based treats!

HUMAN RIGHTS DAY
Date:	December 10
Origin:	The United Nations General Assembly created the first Human Rights Day on December 10, 1948.
Comments: Human Rights Day, created by the United Nations, promotes awareness of the importance of Human Rights issues around the world. On this date in 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

HANNUKAH
Date:	Varying dates:  December 12 in 2017
Origin:	Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, (also called Chanuka, Hannukah and Hannakuh) celebrates victory from Greek religious persecution. The Jewish victory was led by the Macabees in the year 167 B.C. Upon returning to the temple to rededicate it and relight the Menorah, the Macabees found only one small flask of oil, enough to light the Menorah for just one day. However, the flask of oil lasted lasted eight days, Hence the celebration lasts eight days. This is also why it is called the Festival of Lights.
Comments: Hannakah, or Chanukah, is the Jewish eight-day, wintertime “festival of lights,” celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods. At the heart of the festival is the nightly menorah lighting. The menorah holds nine flames, one of which is the shamash (“attendant”), which is used to kindle the other eight lights. On the first night, we light just one flame. On the second night, an additional flame is lit. By the eighth night of Chanukah, all eight lights are kindled. Special blessings are recited, often to a traditional melody, before the menorah is lit, and traditional songs are sung afterward. A menorah is lit in every household (or even by each individual within the household) and placed in a doorway or window. The menorah is also lit in synagogues and other public places. In recent years, thousands of jumbo menorahs have cropped up in front of city halls and legislative buildings, and in malls and parks all over the world.

VIOLIN DAY
Date:	December 13
Origin:	Unknown
Comments: If you don’t play the violin, then celebrate it by listening to violin, whether it be blue grass, Andres Rieu, Alison Krauss or some Irish fiddling. Niccolò Paganini (1782 – 1840) was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique.  Paganini’s great skill as a violinist was helped by the fact that he had unusually long and flexible fingers in addition to great musicality.   He practised 15 hours per day.  On one occasion, as he was playing a serenade, one after the other, three of the four strings on the violin broke.  He simply finished the serenade playing all notes on the one remaining string!  Not as amazing as it sounds, however.  Paganini is known to have sabotaged his strings so that they would sometimes break, letting him make a big ado about continuing on one string, something he was accomplished at.  Click on the following link to hear his composition Variations on One String:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTnnJHG9Qpo

MONKEY DAY
Date:	December 14
Origin:	Monkey Day was created and popularized by artists Casey Sorrow and Eric Millikin in the year 2000 to spread awareness for the animals, and to show love and care for them. It is celebrated worldwide and often known as World Monkey Day.
Comments: Monkey Day is an unofficial international holiday celebrated on December 14. The holiday celebrates monkeys and "all things simian", including other non-human primates such as apes, tarsiers, and lemurs.