December 08
Overview
Holidays & Observances
Battle Day(Falkland Islands)
Annual commemoration in the Falkland Islands marking the 1982 battle to reclaim the islands during the Falklands War.
Bodhi Day(Japan)
Japanese Buddhist holiday commemorating the Buddha’s enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.
CARICOM–Cuba Day(Caribbean Community(CARICOM) andCuba)
Annual observance highlighting the partnership and cooperation between CARICOM member states and Cuba.
Christianfeast day:
Budoc (Beuzec) of Dol, Clement of Ohrid(Julian Calendar), and its related observances:Student's Day(Bulgaria), Eucharius, Feast of the Immaculate Conception(public holiday inseveral countries, aholy day of obligationin others), and its related observances:Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Anglican Communion), lesser commemorationFesta da Conceição da Praia, celebratingYemanjá, Queen of the Ocean inUmbanda(Salvador, Bahia)Festival of Lights (Lyon)Mother's Day(Panama)Lady of Camarin Day(Guam), Patapios of Thebes, Pope Eutychian, Richard Baxter(US Episcopal Church), Romaric, December 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
A collection of Christian commemorations observed on December 8 across various traditions and regions.
Constitution Day (Romania)
Romanian public holiday marking the adoption of the nation’s post-communist constitution in 1991.
Constitution Day (Uzbekistan)
National holiday in Uzbekistan celebrating the adoption of its constitution in 1992.
Day of Finnish Music(Finland)
Annual celebration of Finland’s musical heritage, honoring composers and performers.
Earliest day on whichNational Tree Planting Daycan fall, while December 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Monday in December. (Malawi)
Movable national observance in Malawi promoting environmental stewardship through tree planting, which can fall as early as December 8.
Hari-Kuyō(Kansai region,Japan)
Traditional Japanese festival offering gratitude to old and broken sewing tools in the Kansai region.
Events
Later Yan is defeated by its former vassal Northern Wei at the Battle of Canhe Slope.
At the Battle of Canhe Slope in 395, Northern Wei forces decisively defeated the Later Yan army, marking a turning point in the Sixteen Kingdoms period.
The poet Du Fu returns to Chang'an as a member of Emperor Xuanzong's court, after having escaped the city during the An Lushan Rebellion.
Renowned Chinese poet Du Fu returns to the Tang capital Chang'an in 757, joining Emperor Xuanzong's court after escaping the An Lushan Rebellion.
Louis the Stammerer (son of Charles the Bald) is crowned king of the West Frankish Kingdom at Compiègne.
Louis the Stammerer is crowned king of the West Frankish Kingdom at Compiègne in 877, succeeding his father Charles the Bald.
Ahmad ibn Abi Jum'ah writes his Oran fatwa, arguing for the relaxation of Islamic law requirements for the forcibly converted Muslims in Spain.
Islamic scholar Ahmad ibn Abi Jum'ah issues the Oran fatwa in 1504, permitting leniency in religious obligations for Muslims forcibly converted in Spain.
A woman (either Margaret Hughes or Anne Marshall) appears on an English public stage for the first time, in the role of Desdemona in a production of Shakespeare's play Othello.
A woman appears on the English public stage for the first time, playing Desdemona in a Restoration production of Shakespeare's Othello in 1660.
Conservative Santiago-based government troops defeat rebels at the Battle of Loncomilla, signaling the end of the 1851 Chilean Revolution.
Government troops defeat rebels at the Battle of Loncomilla on December 8, 1851, ending the Chilean Revolution of that year.
In his Apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogmatic definition of Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived free of Original Sin.
Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in his Apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus in 1854.
Between two and three thousand churchgoers die during the Church of the Company Fire. Deemed as probably the largest single building fire by number of victims in modern history, it began at the start of a Mass held at the Church of the Society of Jesus in Santiago, Chile, during the celebration of the recently proclaimed Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
A catastrophic fire at Santiago’s Church of the Company during Mass kills thousands, becoming one of the deadliest building fires in history on December 8, 1863.
Pope Pius IX promulgates the encyclical Quanta cura and its appendix, the Syllabus of Errors, outlining the authority of the Catholic Church and condemning various liberal ideas.
Pope Pius IX issues the encyclical Quanta cura and its appendix Syllabus of Errors in 1864, condemning liberalism and asserting Church authority.
Births
Horace
Leading Roman lyric poet under Emperor Augustus, best known for his Odes, Satires, and Epistles.
Wang Anshi
Chinese Song dynasty chancellor and reformer, known for ambitious economic and administrative policies.
Astorre II Manfredi
Italian nobleman and lord of Faenza who ruled during the early Renaissance period.
Queen Jeonghui
Queen consort and regent of Joseon Korea, noted for her strong political influence and cultural patronage.
Anselm Adornes
Belgian merchant and diplomat who served as a city official and negotiator in 15th-century Bruges.
Miklós Istvánffy
Prominent Hungarian statesman and chancellor known for his role in royal administration and historical writings.
Mary
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, whose tumultuous reign and dramatic life influenced European politics and culture.
François de La Rochefoucauld
French cardinal and diplomat from the influential La Rochefoucauld family, active in the early 17th century.
Antonio de Benavides
Spanish colonial governor of Florida, remembered for fortifying St. Augustine and negotiating with native tribes.
Deaths
Drogo of Metz
Frankish bishop of Metz and illegitimate son of Emperor Charlemagne.
King of East Francia and Holy Roman Emperor who ruled in the late 9th century.
Zhou the Elder
Chinese queen consort from the imperial court who died in 964.
Berthold IV
German duke of Zähringen and influential medieval nobleman.
John Peckham
English Franciscan scholar and Archbishop of Canterbury from 1279 to 1292.
Nicholas II
Silesian duke of Opava who governed his duchy in the 14th century.
Hedwig Jagiellon
Polish and Lithuanian princess of the Jagiellonian dynasty in the early 15th century.
Gian Giorgio Trissino
Italian Renaissance humanist noted for his literary works and contributions to the Italian language.
Luis de Carvajal the Younger
Marrano writer and martyr executed during the Spanish Inquisition.