InAncient Rome, as one of the fourAgonalia, this day in honour ofSol Indiges was held on December 11, as wasSeptimontium.Dies natalis (birthday) was held at the temple ofTellus on December 13,Consualia was held on December 15,Saturnalia was held December 17–23,Opiconsivia was held on December 19,Divalia was held on December 21,Larentalia was held on December 23, and the dies natalis ofSol Invictus was held on December 25. These dates do not correspond to the modern Gregorian calendar.
Month December depicted in Hans Bol's and Adriaen Collart'sEmblematica Evangelica.
December contains thewinter solstice in theNorthern Hemisphere, the day with the fewest daylight hours, and thesummer solstice in theSouthern Hemisphere, the day with the most daylight hours (excluding polar regions in both cases, which consistently havenone or24 hours, respectively, near the solstice). December in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent toJune in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. In the Northern hemisphere, the beginning of the astronomicalwinter is traditionally 21 December or the date of the solstice.
Meteor showers occurring in December are theAndromedids (September 25 – December 6, peaking around November 9), theCanis-Minorids (December 4 – December 15, peaking around December 10–11), theComa Berenicids (December 12 to December 23, peaking around December 16), theDelta Cancrids (December 14 to February 14, the main shower from January 1 to January 24, peaking on January 17), theGeminids (December 13–14), theMonocerotids (December 7 to December 20, peaking on December 9. This shower can also start in November), thePhoenicids (November 29 to December 9, with a peak occurring around 5/6 December), theQuadrantids (typically a January shower but can also start in December), theSigma Hydrids (December 4–15), and theUrsids (December 17-to December 25/26, peaking around December 22).
(All Baháʼí, Islamic, and Jewish observances begin at the sundown prior to the date listed, and end at sundown of the date in question unless otherwise noted.)
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