December 20
Holidays
55 holidays recorded on December 20 throughout history
Quote of the Day
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Catholics honor Saint Dominic of Silos, Saint Ursicinus, and the O Clavis antiphon today, reflecting on themes of lib…
Catholics honor Saint Dominic of Silos, Saint Ursicinus, and the O Clavis antiphon today, reflecting on themes of liberation and divine wisdom. These observances anchor the final week of Advent, focusing the faithful on the approaching Nativity through specific liturgical prayers and the veneration of figures known for their monastic discipline and miraculous intercessions.
December 20, 1999.
December 20, 1999. Portugal's flag came down after 442 years—longer than it held Brazil, Angola, or Mozambique combined. Macau's last Portuguese governor, Vasco Rocha Vieira, wept openly at the handover ceremony. China promised fifty years of "one country, two systems," the same deal Hong Kong got in 1997. But Macau was different: no protests, no resistance, barely a whisper. Portugal had already offered to return it in 1974 during the Carnation Revolution—China said no, wait. The timing wasn't right. Now Macau's casinos generate more revenue than Las Vegas ever has. The Portuguese stayed quiet because they'd already left.
The UN created this day in 2005, but the idea came from earlier — a 2002 debate about whether rich countries owed poo…
The UN created this day in 2005, but the idea came from earlier — a 2002 debate about whether rich countries owed poor countries anything beyond charity. The word "solidarity" was chosen deliberately: not aid, not assistance, but mutual responsibility. December 20th marks the date in 1996 when the UN established its International Solidarity Fund, seeded by voluntary contributions that never matched expectations. The day asks a simple question: if 10% of the world controls 85% of its wealth, is that a problem governments should solve, or just math? Countries celebrate it differently. Some redistribute. Some don't acknowledge it at all. The gap keeps widening.
Réunion and French Guiana celebrate the end of forced labor each December 20, commemorating the 1848 decree that fina…
Réunion and French Guiana celebrate the end of forced labor each December 20, commemorating the 1848 decree that finally emancipated enslaved people in the French colonies. This holiday honors the resilience of those who survived the plantation system while serving as a public reckoning with the island’s brutal history of human bondage.
Winter arrives when Earth tilts furthest from the sun — but in ancient Persia, the longest night meant something else.
Winter arrives when Earth tilts furthest from the sun — but in ancient Persia, the longest night meant something else. Yaldā comes from a Syriac word meaning "birth," because Zoroastrians believed light was reborn at midnight when darkness peaked. Families still gather to eat pomegranates (their red seeds symbolizing dawn) and read Hafez poetry until sunrise. The tradition survived Islam's arrival in the 7th century, absorbed rather than erased. Watermelons in December. All-night storytelling. The refusal to sleep through the moment when light begins its slow return.
The O Antiphons hit their fifth day with "O Clavis" — O Key — sung at vespers across medieval Europe.
The O Antiphons hit their fifth day with "O Clavis" — O Key — sung at vespers across medieval Europe. Seven antiphons, seven evenings before Christmas, each addressing Christ with a different Old Testament title. Monks designed them to work backward: take the first letter of each Latin title in reverse order, and you get "Ero Cras" — "I will be [there] tomorrow." A hidden promise embedded in liturgy, revealed only to those paying attention across a full week. The tradition survives in "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," though most singers never catch the acrostic.
The Rangoon University student who led the 1938 oil workers' strike wore a borrowed white shirt.
The Rangoon University student who led the 1938 oil workers' strike wore a borrowed white shirt. Bo Aung Kyaw was 23 when he organized Burma's first mass labor action against British colonial companies—80,000 workers walked out. He smuggled independence pamphlets in textbooks, printed manifestos on a hand-cranked press in his dormitory. The British arrested him seventeen times in two years. On May 9, 1940, police shot him during a waterfront demonstration. He bled out on the dock pilings where the oil barrels sat. Myanmar marks his death, not his birth—the day a student's white shirt turned red became the date that defined resistance.
Aniversário dos municípios de São João do Sul e Garuva, Santa Catarina.
Aniversário dos municípios de São João do Sul e Garuva, Santa Catarina.
Vincent Romano († 1831), bienheureux prêtre italien.
Vincent Romano († 1831), bienheureux prêtre italien.
Abolition of Slavery Day, also known as Fête des Cafres (Réunion, French Guiana)
Abolition of Slavery Day, also known as Fête des Cafres (Réunion, French Guiana)
Christianisme orthodoxe : mémoire de Jude / Thaddée l'un des douze apôtres directs de J.-C., avec lecture de Sg.
Christianisme orthodoxe : mémoire de Jude / Thaddée l'un des douze apôtres directs de J.-C., avec lecture de Sg. 3, 1(-8) ; II Pi. 2, 9(-21) ; I Cor. 12, 26-31 et de Mc 3, 13-35 dans le lectionnaire de Jérusalem.
Dominique de Brescia († vers 612), évêque italien.
Dominique de Brescia († vers 612), évêque italien.
Esther († vers Ve siècle av.
Esther († vers Ve siècle av. J.-C.), personnage biblique et hypothétique de l'Ancien Testament, reine de Perse.
Eugène de Mauritanie († 362), avec Macaire, relégués dans un désert en Mauritanie (au niveau de la Tunisie actuelle),…
Eugène de Mauritanie († 362), avec Macaire, relégués dans un désert en Mauritanie (au niveau de la Tunisie actuelle), puis tués à coups d'épée, lors de la persécution de l'empereur Julien.
Libérat et Bajulus († ?), martyrs à Rome.
Libérat et Bajulus († ?), martyrs à Rome.
Malou (VIIe siècle ?), prêtre à Hautvillers, en Champagne.
Malou (VIIe siècle ?), prêtre à Hautvillers, en Champagne.
Michel Piaszczynski (en) († 1940), bienheureux prêtre polonais martyr.
Michel Piaszczynski (en) († 1940), bienheureux prêtre polonais martyr.
Pierre de La Cadirète (ca) († 1277), bienheureux dominicain espagnol martyr.
Pierre de La Cadirète (ca) († 1277), bienheureux dominicain espagnol martyr.
Daniel II de Serbie († 1338), archevêque de Serbie - date selon le calendrier Julien.
Daniel II de Serbie († 1338), archevêque de Serbie - date selon le calendrier Julien.
Ignace des Grottes de Kiev (ru) († 1435), higoumène.
Ignace des Grottes de Kiev (ru) († 1435), higoumène.
Jean de Cronstadt († 1908), fils de sacristain russe de la région d'Arkhangelsk, prêtre à Cronstadt, thaumaturge, aut…
Jean de Cronstadt († 1908), fils de sacristain russe de la région d'Arkhangelsk, prêtre à Cronstadt, thaumaturge, auteur de Ma Vie en Christ.
Jean le Tailleur († 1650) — ou « Jean de Thassos » —, né à Mariès sur l'île de Thassos, tailleur, martyr à Constantin…
Jean le Tailleur († 1650) — ou « Jean de Thassos » —, né à Mariès sur l'île de Thassos, tailleur, martyr à Constantinople par la main de musulmans.
Théophile.
Théophile.
Isaac et ses variantes ou diminutifs : Ike, Itzhak, Isḥāq et Yitzhak.
Isaac et ses variantes ou diminutifs : Ike, Itzhak, Isḥāq et Yitzhak.
Jacob et sa forme féminine Jacobine.
Jacob et sa forme féminine Jacobine.
Ursan et ses variantes : Urs, Ursa, Ursanne.
Ursan et ses variantes : Urs, Ursa, Ursanne.
Zéphyrin, sa variante masculine Zéphirin et leurs formes féminines Zéphirine et Zéphyrine.
Zéphyrin, sa variante masculine Zéphirin et leurs formes féminines Zéphirine et Zéphyrine.
Día Mundial de la Sangría.
Día Mundial de la Sangría. Bebida conocida y consumida en todo el mundo, que se prepara con agua, vino, azúcar y frutas, sin embargo se le pueden añadir otros ingredientes como gaseosa, algún licor, canela, limón y otros ingredientes al gusto de cada persona.
Día Internacional de la Camisa Arrugada.Celebración que tiene un propósito ecológico y busca concienciar sobre el con…
Día Internacional de la Camisa Arrugada.Celebración que tiene un propósito ecológico y busca concienciar sobre el consumo energético y el impacto ambiental del planchado de ropa. La idea es promover el no uso de la plancha por un día, lo que se traduce en un ahorro de energía y una menor huella de carbono.
Argentina Argentina: Chaco: Día del Escudo de la Provincia del Chaco.Se recuerda como fecha de aprobación del escudo…
Argentina Argentina: Chaco: Día del Escudo de la Provincia del Chaco.Se recuerda como fecha de aprobación del escudo de la Provincia del Chaco. En este día de 1957, el exgobernador de la provincia, Coronel Miguel Ángel Mascaró, por Decreto N°1006, aprueba el proyecto presentado por el señor Carlos López Piacentini.
San Tolomeo.
San Tolomeo.
San Teófilo, soldado y mártir.
San Teófilo, soldado y mártir.
Estados Unidos Estados Unidos: Día de los Juegos.(en inglés: Games Day).
Estados Unidos Estados Unidos: Día de los Juegos.(en inglés: Games Day).
Estados Unidos Estados Unidos: Día de Cantar Villancicos.
Estados Unidos Estados Unidos: Día de Cantar Villancicos.
San Liberal de Roma, mártir.
San Liberal de Roma, mártir.
San Filogonio de Antioquía, obispo (324).
San Filogonio de Antioquía, obispo (324).
San Ursicino de Jura, eremita (c.
San Ursicino de Jura, eremita (c. 620).
San Amón.
San Amón.
San Báyulo.
San Báyulo.
San Eugenio, sacerdote y mártir.
San Eugenio, sacerdote y mártir.
San Filogonio.
San Filogonio.
Santa Ilduara.
Santa Ilduara.
Dia do Mecânico.
Dia do Mecânico.
Aniversário dos municípios de Caarapó, Nova Andradina e Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul.
Aniversário dos municípios de Caarapó, Nova Andradina e Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul.
Aniversário dos municípios de São João do Ivaí e Pontal do Paraná, Paraná.
Aniversário dos municípios de São João do Ivaí e Pontal do Paraná, Paraná.
Aniversário dos municípios de Frei Miguelinho, Itacuruba, Tracunhaém, Tupanatinga e Lagoa de Itaenga, Pernambuco.
Aniversário dos municípios de Frei Miguelinho, Itacuruba, Tracunhaém, Tupanatinga e Lagoa de Itaenga, Pernambuco.
Aniversário do município de Pacoti, Ceará.
Aniversário do município de Pacoti, Ceará.
Dia Internacional da Solidariedade Humana
Dia Internacional da Solidariedade Humana
Santa Ingenes.
Santa Ingenes.
San Julio, mártir.
San Julio, mártir.
San Liberado.
San Liberado.
San Macario, sacerdote y mártir.
San Macario, sacerdote y mártir.
Beato Miguel Piaszczynski, presbítero y mártir (1940).
Beato Miguel Piaszczynski, presbítero y mártir (1940).
Santo Vicente Romano, presbítero (1831).
Santo Vicente Romano, presbítero (1831).
San Zenón, soldado y mártir.
San Zenón, soldado y mártir.