By Rubbina Singh, University of Calgary (Canada)
December got its name from the Latin word Decem (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in the old calendar of Romulus c. 750 BC which began in March. After the revision of the Calendar, when January and February were added, December became the 12th month of the year. An important day in this month is Christmas, the annual commemoration of the joyous Birth of the Lord Jesus Christ on December 25. It is a religious and cultural celebration among billions of Christians, as well as people of many other Faiths, around the world. It is also called X-mas (short for Christmas, Nativity, Natalis (Birth of Christ), or Noel (Festival of Lights and Carols).
Poh – the 10th month of the Khalsa year as per the Nanakshahi Calendar, (Samvat 554), starts on December 14. In this month, Char Sahibzadas (Princes), the four valiant young sons of the Tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh, laid down their lives for their Dharm, the Principles of Sikhi. The two elder sons, Sahibzada Ajit Singh and Sahibzada Jujhar Singh fought bravely in the Battle of Chamkaur and were martyred. The two younger sons, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh were bricked alive at Fatehgarh Sahib (near Sirhind in Punjab), for refusing to accept Islam. The Jyoti-Jot Divas (The Day of Assimilation in the Divine) of Guru Gobind Singh also falls in this month.
Some other important Days in December are as follows.
1 December – World Aids Day to combat AIDS caused by HIV infection. The 24th International (WHO and UNESCO) conference on AIDS was held in July 2022 in Montreal, Canada.
2 December – International Day of Abolition of Slavery is observed for the legal prohibition of Slavery and Racism prevailing in some parts of the world even today.
3 December – International Day of People with disabilities is aimed at making disabled persons strong and motivating them to bravely achieve their goals in life.
3 December – World Conservation Day is celebrated to create awareness about the need to preserve the environment, especially forests, to keep the world healthy.
9 December – International Day against Corruption to suggest ways to end this evil.
10 December – Human Rights Day is observed to make people aware of their basic Human Rights and for removing inequalities. In 1675, Guru Teg Bahadur, the 9th Sikh Guru, sacrificed his life at Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi, for upholding the Human Rights of the Kashmiri Pandits who had approached Guru Sahib and all human beings.
December 10 – Nobel Prize Day honors Alfred Nobel, who died on this day in 1895. He established international recognition awards for outstanding accomplishments. Since 1901, awards are given (may be shared by two or three) for literary and scientific advances, each year on this day. The Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway, to those who did their best for mankind. Other Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden. Recipients receive a gold medal, a diploma, and a monetary gift. Prizes are not given posthumously, except when the awardee dies before the ceremony.
14 December – International Energy Day is to highlight the need for increased use of Renewable Energy, Energy saving, and generating efficiency in global ecosystems.
18 December – International Migrants Day is observed for the protection of the human rights of migrants and harnessing the potential of human mobility.
29 December – International Bio-diversity Day is observed under the auspices of the UN to stop the extinction of thousands of Endangered Species on the Earth.
ਸਾਂਝੀ ਵਿਰਾਸਤ 