Holidays Calendar for December 8, 2023
In Panama, Mother's Day is a public holiday. It is celebrated on December 8, coinciding with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in the Roman Catholic Church.
Constitution Day in Uzbekistan is celebrated on December 8. This public holiday commemorates the adoption of the Constitution of Uzbekistan in 1992.
National Youth Day is a public holiday in Albania celebrated on December 8. It was established in 2010 to commemorate student demonstrations that occurred in December 1990.
Battle of the Falklands Day is a public holiday in the Falkland Islands celebrated on December 8. It commemorates the Battle of the Falkland Islands that occurred on December 8, 1914 during the First World War. The battle was the second major naval engagement of the war.
December 8 is Constitution Day in the Northern Mariana Islands. Interestingly, it coincides with the feast day of Our Lady of Camarin, the patron saint of the archipelago.
On December 8, the Macedonian Orthodox Church celebrates the feast day of Saint Clement of Ohrid. As he is the patron saint of North Macedonia, Saint Clement of Ohrid Day is one of the country's public holidays.
On December 8, citizens of Guam celebrate Our Lady of Camarin Day that coincides with the Feast of Immaculate Conception. Our Lady of Camarin (Santa Marian Camalen) is the patroness of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8) is a state holiday in some countries with a predominantly Catholic population such as Panama, Nicaragua, Portugal, Italy, Colombia, and others. There are countries where it is dedicated to a particular image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. For example, Paraguayans observe it as the Day of the Virgin of Caacupé.
Religious Holidays →
Switzerland,
San Marino,
Seychelles,
Spain,
Portugal,
Peru,
Paraguay,
Panama,
Nicaragua,
Monaco,
Malta,
Macau,
Liechtenstein,
Italy,
Equatorial Guinea,
Vatican City,
East Timor,
Colombia,
Austria,
Andorra,
Argentina,
Chile
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
December 8 is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, that is celebrated universally by the Roman Catholic Church. It celebrates the solemn belief that the conception of Virgin May was free from original sin.
Bodhi Day is a Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that Siddhartha Gautama experienced bodhi (enlightenment). Its date varies from country to country. In Japan, Bodhi Day has been celebrated on December 8 since the introduction of the Gregorian calendar.
Hanukkah, also transliterated as Chanukah, is a Jewish eight-day festival of lights that starts on the 25th day of the month of Kislev. It commemorates the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt, following Judah Maccabee’s victory over the Seleucids.
World Twin Anemia Polycythemia Sequence Awareness Day, also known as World TAPS Awareness Day or World TAPS Day, is observed annually on December 8. It was created to raise awareness of a form of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.
Day of Radio and Television Workers is an official professional holiday in the Kyrgyz Republic. It is celebrated on December 8.
Artist’s Day is an informal professional observance celebrated on December 8. Although it is sometimes referred to as International Artist’s Day, the holiday is virtually unknown outside Russia, where it was created in 2007.
December 8 is the perfect day to give a shout out to all the hard-working men and women who make our lives so much easier but often don’t get the credit they deserve because it is National Blue Collar Day.
National Salesperson Day is celebrated across the United States on the second Friday of December every year. It was created to recognize the hardworking people who are essential to the retail industry.
On December 8, Finland celebrates Day of Finnish Music. This date is the birth anniversary of Jean Sibelius, outstanding Finnish composer whose music greatly influenced the formation of the Finnish national identity.
Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Day is an Ethiopian holiday celebrated annually on December 8. It commemorates the adoption of the Constitution of Ethiopia that guaranteed equal rights to all ethnic groups of Ethiopia.
Constitution Day in Romania is celebrated on December 8. Although it is not a public holiday, it is an official observance marked with speeches, educational activities and other appropriate events. Constitution Day commemorates the approval of the Constitution of Romania in 1991.
December 8 is the National Brownie Day, a food-related holiday for chocoholics. A chocolate brownie is a dessert bar, which is very popular in the United States and Canada.
Some people put up and decorate their Christmas trees right after Thanksgiving, while others prefer to wait a little longer before kicking off the Christmas season. If you belong to the latter category, you can put up your Christmas tree on National Christmas Tree Day, celebrated on the first Saturday of December in Canada and on December 8 in the United States.
National Concha Day is celebrated annually on December 8. It was created to recognize a delicious Mexican pastry that resembles a seashell.
Bulgarian students celebrate Student's Day on December 8. The holiday was established in 1903 to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Sofia University.
Other Observances →
Antigua and Barbuda,
Bahamas,
Barbados,
Belize,
Haiti,
Guyana,
Grenada,
Dominica,
Cuba,
Montserrat,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
Saint Kitts and Nevis,
Saint Lucia,
Suriname,
Trinidad and Tobago,
Jamaica
CARICOM-Cuba Day
CARICOM-Cuba Day is an annual observance that marks the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations by the nations of the Caribbean Community with Cuba. It is celebrated on December 8.
Purple Friday (Paarse Vrijdag) is observed in the Netherlands on the second Friday of December. On this day, students in Dutch schools are encouraged to wear purple to show their solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community and take a stand against bullying.
Festivals on December 8, 2023
- International Film Festival of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram, India
- Chorus Inside International in Rome, Italy
- Rome Christmas Market in Rome, Italy
- Comic Con India in New Delhi, India
- Colisium International Music Forum in Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Dubai Shopping Festival in Dubai, UAE
- Havana Film Festival in Havana, Cuba
- Whirling Dervish Festival (Şeb-i Arûs) in Konya, Turkey
- New York City Horror Film Festival in New York, USA
- Leuven Christmas Market in Leuven, Belgium
- Lyon Festival of Lights in Lyon, France
- Più Libri Più Liberi Book Fair in Rome, Italy
- Jazz Bez in Lviv, Ukraine
- Riga Christmas Market in Riga, Latvia
- Prague Christmas Market in Prague, Czech Republic
This Day in History
- 2019 Died: René Auberjonois, American actor and singer. He is best known for his film roles in MASH, King Kong and The Little Mermaid, as well as for playing Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
- 2013 Died: John Cornforth, Australian-British chemist who won the 1975 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the stereochemistry of enzyme-catalyzed reactions.
- 2004 Twelve South American countries signed the Cusco Declaration during the Third South American Summit. It announced the foundation of the Union of South American Nations.
- 1993 Born: AnnaSophia Robb, American actress and model. She is known for her role as Carrie Bradshaw on The Carrie Diaries, Sex and the City prequel.
- 1991 Leaders of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine signed an agreement that officially dissolved the Soviet Union and established the Commonwealth of Independent States.
- 1991 Died: Kimberly Bergalis, American AIDS victim. She was one of the six patients infected by HIV after visiting David J. Acer, a dentist who had AIDS.
- 1987 An Israeli army tank transporter killed four Palestinian refugees in a traffic accident at the Erez Crossing. This incident was the immediate cause of the First Intifada.
- 1987 Ronald Reagan (United States) and Mikhail Gorbachev (Soviet Union) signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty at the White House.
- 1985 Born: Meagan Duhamel, Canadian pair skater and figure skating coach. With partner Eric Radford, she is a two-time world champion and a 2018 Olympic bronze medalist in the pairs event
- 1982 Born: Nicki Minaj (stage name of Onika Tanya Maraj), Trinidadian-born American rapper, singer-songwriter, and actress. She rose to prominence in 2010.
- 1980 Died: John Lennon, English singer-songwriter, record producer, writer, artist, and activist, best known as a co-founder of The Beatles. He was murdered by Mark David Chapman.
- 1978 Died: Golda Meir (born Golda Mabovitch), Israeli teacher, kibbutznik, and politician who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 until her resignation in 1974.
- 1978 Born: Ian Somerhalder, American actor, model, and director. He is best known for his roles as Boone Carlyle on Lost and Damon Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries.
- 1976 Born: Dominic Monaghan, English actor best known for his roles in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and on the ABC television series Lost.
- 1966 Greek car ferry SS Heraklion capsized and sank in the Aegean Sea, resulting in the deaths of over 200 people (57 officer and crew and at least 160 passengers).
- 1966 Born: Sinéad O'Connor, Irish singer-songwriter and musician. She achieved international success in 1990 with her cover of Prince's song "Nothing Compares 2 U".
- 1965 Born: David Harewood, British actor. He is best known for his roles as David Estes in Homeland, and as J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter and Hank Henshaw / Cyborg Superman in Supergirl.
- 1964 Born: Teri Hatcher, American actress and singer best known for her roles as Lois Lane on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Susan Meyer on Desperate Housewives.
- 1955 The flag of Europe was officially adopted as the flag of the Council of Europe. The flag consists of a circle of twelve golden stars on an azure background.
- 1953 Born: Kim Basinger, American actress, former model, producer, and activist. She is known for her roles in The Natural, 9½ Weeks, L.A. Confidential and other films.
- 1952 Died: Charles Lightoller, English naval officer. He was the second officer on board the RMS Titanic and the most senior officer to survive the Titanic disaster.
- 1943 Born: Jim Morrison, American singer-songwriter, poet, filmmaker, and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of the rock band The Doors. He died at the age of 27.
- 1941 Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces simultaneously attacked Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaya, Shanghai, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies.
- 1925 Born: Sammy Davis Jr., American singer, dancer, actor of stage and screen, musician, and impressionist. He earned two Grammys and an Emmy, as well as many other awards.
- 1907 Gustaf V ascended ascended the Swedish throne, following the death of his father Oscar II. He was the last Swedish monarch to exercise his royal prerogatives.
- 1903 Died: Herbert Spencer, English philosopher, anthropologist, biologist, sociologist, and political theorist. He is known for developing an all-embracing conception of evolution.
- 1894 Died: Pafnuty Chebyshev, Russian mathematician known for his work in the fields of number theory, mechanics, statistics, probability, and analytical geometry.
- 1894 Born: Elzie Crisler Segar, American cartoonist, best known as the creator of Popeye, a fictional character who first appeared in the comic strip Thimble Theatre in 1929.
- 1864 Died: George Boole, renowned English mathematician, philosopher, and logician who worked primarily in the fields of algebraic logic and differential equations.
- 1859 Died: Thomas De Quincey, English journalist, translator, and essayist best known for his autobiographical account Confessions of an English Opium-Eater.
- 1854 Pope Pius IX promulgated the Apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus that defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
- 1744 Died: Marie Anne de Mailly, French mistress King of Louis XV of France. She was the youngest of five sisters, four of whom became the King's mistresses.
- 1660 A woman (either Margaret Hughes or Anne Marshall) appeared on a public stage in England for the first time, in the role of Desdemona in a production of Otello.
- 1542 Born: Mary, Queen of Scots, also known as Mary I of Scotland, Queen of Scotland from 1542 to 1567 and Queen consort of France from 1559 to 1560 (as the wife of Francis II).