December 22
Overview
Holidays & Observances
Dongzhi Festival
Dongzhi Festival, also known as the Winter Solstice Festival, marks the winter solstice and the return of longer daylight in East Asian cultures. Families gather to honor ancestors and enjoy traditional foods.
Armed Forces Day (Vietnam)
Armed Forces Day in Vietnam commemorates the founding of the Vietnam People's Army on December 22, 1944, honoring military service and sacrifice.
Christianfeast day:
Anastasia of Sirmium(Orthodox Church), Eimhin, Ernan, Son of Eogan, Frances Xavier Cabrini(outside US), Hunger, O Rex, Henry Budd(Episcopal Church (USA)), Lottie Moon(Episcopal Church (USA)), December 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Multiple Christian feast days are observed on December 22 by various denominations, commemorating saints such as Anastasia of Sirmium and others in the Orthodox and Episcopal traditions.
Mother's Day(Indonesia)
Mother's Day in Indonesia, celebrated on December 22, honors the crucial role of mothers and maternal figures in family and society.
National Mathematics Day(India)
National Mathematics Day in India celebrates the birth anniversary of legendary mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan on December 22.
Teachers' Day(Cuba)
Teachers' Day in Cuba, observed on December 22, honors the dedication and impact of educators nationwide.
Unity Day (Zimbabwe)
Unity Day in Zimbabwe is celebrated on December 22 to commemorate the 1987 Unity Accord that ended post-independence political conflict.
Anastasia of Sirmium(Orthodox Church)
Feast day of Saint Anastasia of Sirmium, celebrated on December 22 in the Eastern Orthodox tradition.
Eimhin
Events
Vespasian is proclaimed Emperor of Rome; his predecessor, Vitellius, attempts to abdicate but is captured and killed at the Gemonian stairs.
In AD 69, Vespasian is proclaimed Emperor of Rome during the tumultuous Year of the Four Emperors. His rival Vitellius attempts to abdicate but is captured and killed on the Gemonian Stairs.
Pope Innocent I is elected, the only pope to succeed his father in the office.
Pope Innocent I is elected in 401, becoming the only pontiff to directly succeed his father in the papacy.
Damghan earthquake: An earthquake near the Persian city of Damghan kills an estimated 200,000 people, the sixth deadliest earthquake in recorded history.
A devastating earthquake strikes near Damghan in 856, claiming around 200,000 lives and ranking among history’s deadliest tremors.
Luoyang, eastern capital of the Tang dynasty, is captured by rebel leader Huang Chao during the reign of Emperor Xizong.
Rebel leader Huang Chao captures Luoyang, the eastern capital of China’s Tang dynasty, in 880 during Emperor Xizong’s reign.
Three weeks after the death of King Henry I of England, Stephen of Blois claims the throne and is privately crowned King of England, beginning the English Anarchy.
In 1135, Stephen of Blois seizes the English throne and is privately crowned, igniting the period known as the English Anarchy.
Pope Honorius III approves the Dominican Order through the papal bull of confirmation Religiosam vitam.
Pope Honorius III issues the papal bull 'Religiosam vitam' approving the Dominican Order in 1216.
The forces of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, take control of Almería from the Nasrid ruler of Granada, Muhammad XIII.
In 1489, Ferdinand and Isabella’s forces capture Almería, extending the Catholic Monarchs’ control in Granada.
Sino-Burmese War: The war ends with the Qing dynasty withdrawing from Burma forever.
The Sino-Burmese War ends in 1769 as Qing forces withdraw from Burma, concluding decades of conflict.
Nguyễn Huệ proclaims himself Emperor Quang Trung, in effect abolishing on his own the Lê dynasty.
In 1788, Vietnamese leader Nguyễn Huệ proclaims himself Emperor Quang Trung, abolishing the Lê dynasty.
Births
Diocletian
Roman emperor from AD 284 to 305, Diocletian restored order after the Crisis of the Third Century and established the Tetrarchy.
Kang Kam-ch'an
Leading Goryeo dynasty general and statesman who repelled Khitan invasions in the early 11th century.
Norman King of Sicily who unified southern Italy and fostered a vibrant multicultural court.
Child emperor whose reign ended with his death in the Battle of Dan-no-ura during the Genpei War.
Chagatai Khan
Second son of Genghis Khan who governed Central Asia and founded the Chagatai Khanate.
Khutughtu Khan Kusala
Briefly Emperor of the Yuan dynasty whose sudden death in 1329 sparked a succession crisis.
Sultan Cem
Ottoman prince and pretender who contested the throne against his brother Bayezid II and spent years in exile.
Kuroda Yoshitaka
Renowned samurai strategist and daimyo who served under Toyotomi Hideyoshi during Japan’s Sengoku period.
Cesare Cremonini
Italian Aristotelian philosopher who taught at the University of Bologna and influenced early modern thought.
Deaths
Vitellius
Roman emperor who ruled briefly in AD 69 during the Year of the Four Emperors.
Yuan Qianyao
Tang dynasty official known for his role in provincial governance and imperial administration.
Baha' al-Dawla
Buyid amir who ruled over parts of Iraq in the early 11th century.
Cynesige
11th-century Archbishop of York recognized for his ecclesiastical leadership.
Duke of Bohemia from 1092 to 1100 who strengthened ducal authority and reformed coinage.
Olaf Magnusson
Young King of Norway whose brief reign was overseen by his regents.
Antipope during the Western Schism, later deposed at the Council of Constance.
Willibald Pirckheimer
German Renaissance humanist, lawyer, and author renowned for his scholarship and translations.
Alessandro Bonvicino
Italian Renaissance painter, known as Il Moretto, celebrated for his religious compositions in Brescia.