Santa Claus really did exist! Take time this special day to explore the

Story of the man behind the legend. Saint Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra, a region that is now Turkey. Believing that God wanted him to sell all he owned and give to the poor, he did just that. When his parents died he gave away his inheritence. He spent his life giving to people in need without them knowing it was him, and so we get the gift-giving Santa.

Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated in Northern Europe today on Dec. 6 with traditions that include children’s leaving their shoes outside their door on Dec. 5 in anticipation for gifts. This is the origin of the Christmas stocking. Good children would get treats like candies, cookies and fruit, while naughty ones received lumps of coals. Good gold and chocolate gold coins were also popular to give out, a nod to the money that the real St. Nick would bestow on the less fortunate.

In some households the father of the family may dress up as Saint Nicholas on the eve of his feast. He comes in, sometimes with his sidekick, Krampus or Black Peter, and helps each child examine his conscience. He admonishes the bad and rewards the good. The website for the St. Nicholas Center has great information on the man and the myth.

There are tons of traditional German cookies and cakes to serve on this day. For a nice crunchy treat, try the shortbread cookie, Speculass which is normally made with a heavy wooden cookie mold. If you don’t have a mold, roll out and use as you would a regular cut our cookies, and bake for about 12 minutes.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour with spices, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and mix well.

Stir in by hand half the flour mixture, then add the remaining flour and almonds. Mix with a wooden spoon or knead with hands.

Divide dough into four parts, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for several hours. (If you are using a mold, chill it as well.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheets.

Remove one quarter of the dough from the refrigerator and flatten it with your hands. Oil your mold and lightly flour it. Using your fingers, press dough firmly into the mold. Trim any excess dough from the mold with a knife.

Transfer the cookies onto greased cookie sheets with a spatula, spacing about one inch apart.

Refrigerate dough trimming to be rerolled later. Lightly flour but do not re-oil cookie mold.

Repeat process with remaining dough. When cookie sheets are full, bake cookies for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

If you don’t have a mold, roll as you would any cut-out cookie and bake until golden brown around the edges.

Hot on the heals of the success of Talk Like a Pirate Day comes the Annual Day of the Ninja. The brainstorm of the folks behind the mock website the Ninja Burger, this “holiday” celebrates the silliness that is the ninja. December 5 was originally chosen because December 5, 2003 marked the release of Tom Cruise’s film The Last Samurai (which featured a scene where samurai battled ninja). The promoters propose that you wear a ninja mask to work and if you have the day off “run wild in the streets!” I don’t know if I’d goo that far, or if this holiday is more practical than the Pirate holiday, but it is amazing to see the power of the Internet.  

Back in the beginning of the 1900’s there was a large contingent of folks in America who believed that the consumption of alcohol was leading the country down a horrible path. So vocal were they, that the groups managed to have the 18^th Amendment added to the Constitution on January 16, 1919, making the manufacture, sale and transportation of intoxicating liquids illegal.

Though they had the idea that crime and illicit activities would cease with Prohibition, the law had the opposite effect. Crime in the liquor business became rampant as organized gangs took over the enterprise. After 13 years of speakeasies and backwoods stills, Franklin Roosevelt ran on the platform that he would repeal Prohibition. And so he did, and on December 5, 1933 the 21^st Amendment was signed, allowing Americans to once again legally consume the alcoholic beverage of their choice.

It seems there’s a movement in the US to have Repeal Day become a celebrated holiday. Or maybe it’s just a movement by the Dewar’s company who is using the date in the latest ads. 

St. Barbara’s Day in Poland is a day for miners to come up from the mines and celebrate. Miners are dressed in the special uniforms during Barbórka. The uniform consists of black suit and hat with a feather. The color of the feather (white, red or black) depends on the rank of the miner. Miners wear their decorative uniforms not only during Barborka but also for weddings, funerals and other important political or social ceremonies.
St. Barbara is not only a patron of coal-miners but also a patron of geologists, mathematicians and many others professions. Her honor comes from a legend that she was imprisoned in a tall tower and so a variety of construction professions take her as patron saint. Her festivities take place in geological institutes and universities of Germany and Austria.

 Too often people with all types of disabilities are dependent upon begging, hand-outs, and welfare for their livelihood, not through any meaningful employment. The  main reason for this is the attitude and false notions about what it is like to work with someone with a disability. In 1992, the United Nations began a campaign to make people aware  of the plight of the disabled. They began the International Day of Disabled Person in that year to highlight how people can help. This year the theme is “Decent Work for Persons with Disabilities.” They are working to make employers aware of the discrimination against people with disabilities and encourage meaningful employment for all.  

While the United States set down to plates of turkey and stuffing yesterday, a group of UN reps and government officials from al over the world set down to discuss the lack of sanitary bathroom facilities for 2.6 billion people worldwide. It was the beginning of a conference for World Toilet Day. Read about how the man with the toilet shaped house became president of the association. 

He was Alexander Liholiho, the first grandson of Kamehameha the Great to become King of Hawaii. She was granddaughter of John Young, Kamehameha the Great British-born royal advisor and companion. Together the pair brought churches and schools to the islands.The leaders were also the founders of the Anglican Church of Hawaii. In 1860, Queen Emma and King Kamehameha IV petitioned the Church of England to help them establish the Church of Hawaii. Upon the arrival of an Anglican bishop, they both underwent Christian confirmationin November 1862. Because of this and there efforts to bring a hospital to the island, they were canonized as saints in the US Episcopal Church. Their feast day is celebrated annually on November 28.
Celebrate by feasting on this classic Hawaiian chicken.
INGREDIENTS
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple tidbits with juice
1 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons barbeque sauce
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
4 cups water
2 ½ cups rice
DIRECTIONS
In a glass or plastic dish with a lid, combine the pineapple with its juice, soy sauce, onion powder, sugar, lemon juice, barbeque sauce, and curry powder. Taste, and adjust seasonings if desired. Place the chicken into the mixture, cover, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.Grill or sauté chicken until the meat is no longer pink inside. Brush occasionally with the pineapple sauce. Chicken should take about 7 to 10 minutes on each side.Put the four cups water into a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and rice. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. In a separate pan, heat the marinade over medium heat until boiling. Simmer for about 5 or 10 minutes, then remove from heat, and set aside.Serve the chicken on a bed of rice with the sauce.

Proclamation Day marks the day in 1924 when Mongolia adopted its first constitution and proclaimed itself to the world as a people’s republic. This ended the reign of the Khan who ruled at the time and made many Mongolians slaves and serfs. The current government views the accomplishment of the 1924 constitution as a starting point for the independent nation. It is celebrated as a national holiday. Many people celebrate by viewing the traditional national wrestling competition.

The United Nations has designated Nov. 25 as International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a day to remember the millions of women across the world who are beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime —with the abuser usually someone known to her. This day of awareness is the beginning the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, which runs through December 10. Its starting day was chosen to honor the Mirabal sisters, three political activists from the Dominican Republic who were assassinated on Nov. 25, 1961. The end of the 16 Days is marked by December 10, International Human Rights Day. Coordinated by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership since 1991, the 16 Days of Activism involve hundreds of organizations around the world and includes lectures, art displays, theatre performance and press conferences. 

Hello, and welcome to the 35th annual World Hello Day.  According to founders Brian McCormack and Michael McCormack, anyone can participate in World Hello Day. Just look around and greet ten people, with a smile, with a handshake, with a hello. This demonstrates the importance of personal communication for preserving peace.
The duo began World Hello day in the fall of 1973 after the conflict between Egypt and Israel. Visit their website to see all the letters they have amassed in support of their venture from celebrities and political dignitaries. And say Hello!