Holidays Calendar for December 12, 2026
Neutrality Day is one of the most important holidays in Turkmenistan. It is celebrated on December 12 to commemorate the declaration of the status of permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan in 1995.
Jamhuri Day, also known as Independence Day or Republic Day, is a Kenyan national holiday celebrated on December 12. It commemorates two events: the independence of Kenya from the UK in 1963 and its establishment as a republic the following year.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Day is a Roman Catholic feast celebrated in Mexico December 12. It is dedicated to the patroness of Latin America. Although it is widely marked throughout the country, it is not a public holiday.
World Swallowing Day is observed annually on December 12. It is a global awareness campaign that was launched in 2011 to raise awareness of swallowing disorders among both healthcare professionals and the general public.
The International Day of Heavy Metal is celebrated annually on December 12. It was created to recognize a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s in the United Kingdom and United States.
International Shareware Day is observed annually on the second Saturday of December. It was created to raise awareness of shareware, educate the general public about its differences from freeware and open-source software, and celebrate programmers who give users the opportunity to try their products before deciding whether to buy them.
Ukrainian Ground Forces Day is celebrated in the Armed Forces of Ukraine on December 12. This holiday was established by President Leonid Kuchma in 1997 to celebrate the accomplishments and contribution of the country's ground forces.
Customs Day, also known as Customs Officers' Day or Customs Service Day, is an official professional holiday in Kazakhstan celebrated on December 12. It commemorates the anniversary of the creation of Kazakhstan's Customs Service in 1991.
Croatian Air Force Day (Dan Hrvatskog ratnog zrakoplovstva) is celebrated annually on December 12. It commemorates the establishment of the Croatian Air Force in its modern form in December 1991.
India and some other countries celebrate Retail Employees’ Day annually on December 12. The holiday was launched in 2011 by the Trust for Retailers and Retail Associates of India (TRRAIN) to bring retail employees into focus and thank them for their hard work.
Helicopter Industry Day in Russia is celebrated annually on the second Saturday of December. Although it has no official status, it is widely celebrated by all people involved in the helicopter industry, who consider it their professional holiday.
National Literature Day is celebrated in Kyrgyzstan on December 12. This holiday was established in 2011 and has been observed ever since.
Kanji Day is celebrated in Japan on December 12 each year. On this day, the kanji of the year is announced at a special ceremony. It is chosen by the Japanese Kanji Proficiency Society through a national ballot.
Constitution Day is a commemorative day celebrated in Russia on December 12. It was established to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993.
The death anniversary of Pa Togan Nengminja Sangma, observed annually on December 12, is an official remembrance day in the Indian state of Meghalaya. It commemorates a leader of the Garo people who fought for against the British occupation of Garo Hills.
Nupi Lan Day is one of the official holidays in the state of Manipur. It is celebrated annually on December 12 to commemorate a women’s movement against the British colonial authorities in the first half of the 20th century.
The National Ambrosia Day is celebrated on December 12. Not to be confused with the mythical food of ancient Greek gods, modern-day ambrosia is a delicious fruit salad with coconut and marshmallow.
It is hard to imagine the holiday season without fragrant homemade gingerbread cookies. December 12 is the perfect day to practice baking and decorating Christmas cookies because it is Gingerbread Decorating Day.
December 12 is the perfect day to invite your friends and family over and build gingerbread houses together because it is Gingerbread House Day — one of the many unofficial holidays that help us get into festive mood and prepare for Christmas.
National Poinsettia Day, sometimes referred to as simply Poinsettia Day, is observed annually on December 12. It celebrates one of the most recognizable plants associated with the winter holiday season.
International Day of Neutrality is a United Nations observance held on December 12 each year. It was officially declared by a UN General Assembly resolution adopted in February 2017 and first observed on December 12 of the same year.
International Universal Health Coverage Day (UHC Day) is a United Nations observance held on December 12. It aims to raise awareness of the need for universal health coverage through strong and resilient healthcare systems.
This Day in History
- 2020 Died: Anne Reinking, American dancer, actress, choreographer, and singer. She worked predominantly in musical theater, starring in Broadway productions such as Chicago, Dancin', and Sweet Charity.
- 2020 Died: John le Carré (pen name of David John Moore Cornwell), British author of espionage novels. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, became an international bestseller and remains one of his best-known works.
- 2013 Died: Audrey Totter, American actress who starred in a number of successful films, including The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Unsuspected, The Saxon Charm, Any Number Can Play, etc.
- 2013 Died: Leo Sachs, German-born Israeli biologist. He dedicated his life to cancer research and was awarded a number of prizes. One of his most notable achievements is the demonstration that the malignancy can be reversed.
- 2012 North Korea successfully launched its first satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2.
- 2012 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief was given by many famous performers, including the Who, Bon Jovi, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, at Madison Square Garden and broadcast on 20 international television networks to raise money for the victims of the Hurricane Sandy.
- 2010 Died: Tom Walkinshaw, British racer. In 1976 he founded the racing team Tom Walkinshaw Racing, that went defunct in 2002.
- 2008 Died: Tassos Papadopoulos, Cypriot politician. He served as President of Cyprus from February 28, 2003 to February 28, 2008.
- 2006 Died: Peter Boyle, American actor, best known for his role as Frank Barone on the sitcom Everyone Loves Raymond. He also starred in a number of films, including Dr. Doolittle, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Born to Be Wild etc.
- 2003 Died: Heydar Aliyev, Azerbaijan politician and general. He served as the 3rd President of Azerbaijan from June 24, 1993 to October 31, 2003.
- 1999 Died: Joseph Heller, American author whose works are now the examples of modern satire. His best known work is Catch-22.
- 1996 Born: Lucas Hedges, American actor. He had his breakthrough in 2016 playing a sardonic teenager in Kenneth Lonergan's drama Manchester by the Sea.
- 1985 Arrow Air Flight 1285, operating as international charter flight carrying U.S. troops from Egypt to the USA, crashed after takeoff in Gander, Newfoundland. All 256 people on board were killed.
- 1977 Died: Clementine Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill, wife of British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. She also was a life peeress in her own right.
- 1975 Born: Mayim Bialik, American actress, game show host, and author. She is probably best known for playing neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
- 1970 Born: Jennifer Connelly, American actress, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award winner. She appeared in a number of successful films, including A Beautiful Mind, Dark Water, Blood Diamond, The Day the Earth Stood Still.
- 1949 Born: Bill Nighy, English actor known for his roles in Love, Actually, the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Boat That Rocked, and many other films.
- 1941 World War II: the United Kingdom declared war on Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary declared war on the United States, and India declared war on Japan.
- 1941 Adolph Hitler declared the imminent extermination of the Jews at a meeting in the Reich Chancellery.
- 1939 Died: Douglas Fairbanks, American actor, director and producer. He is best known for the roles in silent films The Thief of Baghdad, Robin Hood and The Mark of Zorro.
- 1935 A leading member of the Nazi Party Heinrich Himmler founded the Lebensborn Project, a reproduction program with the goal of raising the birth rate of Aryan children via extramarital relations.
- 1934 Born: Miguel de la Madrid, Mexican politician, the 52nd President of Mexico serving in office from December 1, 1982 to November 30, 1988.
- 1927 Born: Robert Noyce, American businessman, nicknamed the Mayor of Silicon Valley. Noyce co-founded Intel Corporation in 1968, and he's also credited with the realization of the first integrated circuit or microchip.
- 1915 Born: Frank Sinatra, American singer, actor, producer. He is known for his romantic style of performance and his voice. He won nine Grammy Awards during his career and became a legendary figure in the American pop culture.
- 1911 King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck were enthroned as Emperor and Empress of India.
- 1911 The capital of India was moved from Calcutta to Delhi.
- 1889 Died: Robert Browning, English author and poet, one of the foremost Victorian poets. His poems are known for their irony, dark humor, characterization, historical settings and challenging vocabulary.
- 1881 Born: Harry Warner, Polish-born American businessman. Together with his brothers Albert, Sam and Jack he founded Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. He served as the president of the company till 1956.
- 1866 Born: Alfred Werner, Swiss chemist. He is known for his proposal of the octahedral configuration of transition metal complexes that won him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1913.
- 1863 Born: Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter and printmaker, known for his treatment of psychological themes. His most well-known work is The Scream.
- 1862 During the American Civil War USS Cairo sank on the Yazoo River, becoming the first armored ship to be sunk by an electrically detonated mine.
- 1821 Born: Gustave Flaubert, French writer, the leading exponent of literary realism in France. His most famous novel is Madame Bovary.
- 1805 Born: Henry Wells, American businessman. He was an important person the history of both the American Express Company and Wells Fargo & Company, being one of their founders.
- 1408 King of Hungary Sigismund of Luxembourg created the Order of the Dragon, a monarchical chivalric order for selected nobility. The order was created to fight the enemies of Christianity, in particular the Ottoman Turks.