Holidays Calendar for December 30, 2017

Rizal Day is one of the public holidays in the Philippines. It annually falls on December 30, marking the death anniversary of the Filipino national hero José Rizal.

The two most important ceremonies in the small African kingdom of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) are Umhlanga (reed dance) and Incwala (first fruits ritual). Incwala lasts for several weeks, from mid-December to early November, and one of its days is a public holiday.

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.

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Kwanzaa is an annual week-long celebration that is observed from December 26 to January 1. This holiday is celebrated in the United States and also in diaspora in the Western Africa. Kwanzaa honors the African heritage in African-American culture.

Day of the Declaration of Slovakia as an Independent Ecclesiastic Province is one of the remembrance days in Slovakia. This is an official observance, but it's not a non-working holiday.

U Kiang Nangbah Day is an official holiday celebrated in the Indian state of Meghalaya on December 30. It honors a renowned freedom fighter who led an uprising against the British in Jaintia Hills in the mid-19th century.

The National Bicarbonate of Soda Day, also referred to as the National Baking Soda Day, is an unofficial food holiday celebrated on December 30.

The last days of December are the time when you reflect on the past year and figure out what you can do to become a better person in the year to come. December 30 in particular is a great day to write down your New Year’s resolutions because it is National Resolution Planning Day.

Do you love bacon, yes or no? If the answer is “yes”, don’t forget to celebrate Bacon Day on December 30. It is the perfect day to indulge in the greasy deliciousness that is bacon without feeling a shred of guilt about it.

 

This Day in History

  • 2023 Died: Tom Wilkinson, English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
  • 2022 Died: Barbara Walters, American broadcast journalist and television personality. She appeared as a host of numerous television programs, including Today, the ABC Evening News, 20/20, and The View.
  • 2012 Died: Rita Levi-Montalcini, Italian neurologist and academic, know for her discovery of nerve growth factor. This work brought her the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1986.
  • 2010 Died: Bobby Farrell, Dutch dancer, best known as a member of the successful pop and disco group Boney M.
  • 2009 Died: Abdurrahman Wahid, Indonesian politician and religious leader. He served as the 4th President of Indonesia from October 20, 1999 to July 23, 2001.
  • 2009 A segment of Lanzhou–Zhengzhou–Changsha pipeline ruptured in Shaanxi, China. Approximately 10,000 gal (150,000 l) of diesel oil flew down the Wei River and the Yellow River.
  • 2006 Died: Saddam Hussein, Iraqi politician, the 5th President of Iraq. His presidency lasted from July 16, 1979 to April 9, 2003.
  • 2004 194 people died when a fire broke out in the República Cromagnon nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • 2002 Died: Mary Brian, American actress. She began her career during the silent films era and made a successful transition to sound films. Her first talking film was Varsity, filmed with part-sound and talking sequences.
  • 1998 Died: Sam Muchnick, American wrestling promoter. He was an instrumental figure in the establishment of the National Wrestling Alliance.
  • 1997 The Wilaya of Relizane massacres took place in Algeria. 400 people from four villages were killed.
  • 1986 Born: Caity Lotz, American actress, dancer, and singer. She is best known for her role as Sara Lance in the Arrowverse television franchise, particularly on Legends of Tomorrow.
  • 1986 Born: Ellie Goulding, English singer and songwriter. As of 2023, her accolades included three Brit Awards, a Billboard Music Awards, 17 BMI London Awards, and two Grammy Award nominations.
  • 1984 Born: LeBron James, American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. Nicknamed "King James", he is widely recognized as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport.
  • 1983 Born: Kevin Systrom, American entrepreneur and programmer, the co-founder and former CEO of Instagram. He resigned from Instagram in 2018 and launched the social news aggregator app Artifact in 2023.
  • 1980 Born: Eliza Dushku, American actress, best known for her TV roles, including her role as Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel.
  • 1975 Born: Tiger Woods, American golfer, one of the greatest golfers of all time and is one of the most famous athletes in modern history. He is an inductee of the World Golf Hall of Fame
  • 1969 Born: Jay Kay, English musician, best known as the lead singer of the British band Jamiroquai.
  • 1968 Died: Trygve Lie, Norwegian politician and author. He served as Norwegian Foreign Minister during the critical years of the Norwegian government in exile. From 1946 to 1952 he was the first Secretary-General of the United Nations.
  • 1950 Born: Bjarne Stroustrup, Danish computer scientist. His most notable achievement was the creation and development of the widely used C++ programming language.
  • 1947 Born: James Kahn, American doctor and writer, best known for his novelizations of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Poltergeist, and Poltergeist II: The Other Side.
  • 1947 The Communist government of Romania forced King Michael I to abdicate the throne.
  • 1944 Died: Romain Rolland, French author. In 1915 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary production and to the sympathy and love of truth with which he has described different types of human beings.
  • 1935 Born: Omar Bongo, Gabonese politician, who served as President of Gabon for more than 41 years. His presidency lasted from December 2, 1967 to his death on June 8, 2009.
  • 1934 Born: John N. Bahcall, American astrophysicist, best known for his contributions to the solar neutrino problem. He was a member of the team developing the Hubble Space Telescope.
  • 1922 The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (commonly referred to as the Soviet Union) was officially formed.
  • 1916 Died: Grigori Rasputin, Russian mystic. He was a trusted friend of the family of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, and became an influential figure in Saint Petersburg.
  • 1906 The All-India Muslim League was founded in Dacca, East Bengal, British India. The league laid the foundation for the establishment of Pakistan.
  • 1903 At least 605 people were killed in the Iroquois Theater, Illinois, when a fire broke out. This accident is the deadliest theater fire in the history of the USA.
  • 1865 Born: Rudyard Kipling, English author and poet, renowned for his tales and poems of British soldiers in India. His best known work is The Jungle Book, a collection of stories. In 1907 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
  • 1853 The USA and Mexico signed the treaty known as the Gadsden Purchase. According to the treaty, the USA bought 29,640 sq mi (76,800 sq km) of land that is present-day southern Arizona and New Mexico to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest.
  • 1838 Born: Émile Loubet, French politician who served as the 8th President of France from February 18, 1899 to February 18, 1906.
  • 1816 The Treaty of St. Louis between the United States and the united Ottawa, Ojibawa and Potawatomi Indian tribes was proclaimed. By signing the treaty the tribes relinquished all right, claim and title to land previously ceded to the USA by the Sac and Fox tribes.
  • 1572 Died: Galeazzo Alessi, Italian architect, known for his distinctive style. His most famous work is the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels in Assisi, Italy.
  • 1460 One of the major battles of the Wars of the Roses, the Battle of Wakefeild, took place. During the battle the Duke of York was killed and his army was destroyed.