December is the tweflth month of the year.
Latin (Roman) name: December
The Roman month of December is named for decem, because it was originally the tenth month of the Roman solar year. December was sacred to Vesta, the Roman Goddess of hearth, home, and family.
The earliest Roman months were lunar. According to Roman mythology, the ten month solar calendar aligned to the vernal equinox was introduced by Romulus, the founder of Rome, around 753 BCE. In Romulus’ calendar, December (the tenth month) had 30 days. Numa Pompilius, the second of the seven traditional kings of Rome, added two more months, for a 12 month year. In Numa’s calendar, December had 29 days. Gaius Julius Caesar, as Pontifex Maximus (supreme bridge-builder, a religious title), reorganized the calendar on the first day of 45 BCE. In Caesar’s calendar (the Julian Calendar), December had 31 days. Caesar’s calendar was calculated by Sosigenes, an Egyptian astrologer/astronomer. In 8 BCE, Augustus Caesar fixed errors by pontiffs after Julius’ death and made other minor modifications, resulting in the modern Western calendar. The modern Gregorian Calendar, named for Roman Catholic Pope Gregory the Thirteenth, was a realignment in 1582.
Meaning of name: “From Latin Decem, ten. The tenth month in the Roman calendar.” — SOURCE: Anniversaries and Holidays by Ruth Gregory
Flowers: poinsettia, holly, mistletoe — SOURCE: Anniversaries and Holidays by Ruth Gregory
Birthstone: turquoise and zircon — SOURCE: Anniversaries and Holidays by Ruth Gregory
Goddesses: Vesta, Hestia, Befana, Sekhmet, Astraea, Oya — SOURCE: “Juno Covella, Perpetual Calendar of the Fellowship of Isis” by Lawrence Durdin-Robertson, Cesara Publications, Chicago, ©1982; with additional Goddesses from The Goddess Book of Days by Diane Stein
December 2010
December 2009
December 2008
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| December 1 | December 2 | December 3 | December 4 | December 5 | December 6 | |
| December 7 | December 8 | December 9 | December 10 | December 11 | December 12 | December 13 |
| December 14 | December 15 | December 16 | December 17 | December 18 | December 19 | December 20 |
| December 21 | December 22 | December 23 | December 24 | December 25 | December 26 | December 27 |
| December 28 | December 29 | December 30 | December 31 |
December 2007
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| December 1 | ||||||
| December 2 | December 3 | December 4 | December 5 | December 6 | December 7 | December 8 |
| December 9 | December 10 | December 11 | December 12 | December 13 | December 14 | December 15 |
| December 16 | December 17 | December 18 | December 19 | December 20 | December 21 | December 22 |
| December 23 | December 24 | December 25 | December 26 | December 27 | December 28 | December 29 |
| December 30 | December 31 |
Books
If you want your book reviewed, please send a copy to: Milo, POB 1361, Tustin, CA 92781, USA.
Anniversaries and Holidays; by Ruth W. Gregory; American Library Association, Chicago; 1983; out of print, but can still be special ordered
The Goddess Book of Days: A Perpetual 366 Day Engagement Calendar; by Diane Stein; The Crossing Press, Freedom, CA; 1992; ISBN 89594-551-7; paperback; out of print, but can still be special ordered
If you want your book reviewed, please send a copy to: Milo, POB 1361, Tustin, CA 92781, USA.
Months of the year
See also: months of the year.
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