December 6th : Themes for celebration and contemplation
If you are based in Spain then you will be on holiday on December 6th, congratulations!
If you are looking for some themes and points of interest to add to your advent countdown, the Bulldogz Christmas spirit is in full flow and we can provide you with some of the fun, serious and little known points of celebration for each day on this magical countdown.
The 2022 Christmas Film World Cup Group Stage voting is at the halfway point today. All the details and downloadable wall chart available here.
Today's Christmas Film World Cup Group Matches:
General voting is open here:
December 6
Trick Shot Day
An entertaining celebration instigated by the Basketball trick shot masters, the Harlem Globetrotters to be celebrated on the first Tuesday of December. Although being an obvious advertising strategy for the all-stars Basketball team, "trick shots" have become an online sensation in various sporting and skill fields and numerous compilation videos are available of people demonstrating extraordinary skills.
Miner's Day
Another American day of celebration. Proclaimed as a National Day by Congress in 2009 on the anniversary of the worst mining accident in American history in Monogah, West Virginia, when 362 miners died in 1907. The day is promoted as a way to reflect upon and appreciate the sacrifices of people undertaking one of the most dangerous jobs a person can undertake.
The Dig into Mining website has some varied and interesting resources on mining activities for 6th through to 12th grade US syllabus here.
St. Nicholas Day
The 5th/6th are widely considered as the Feast of Saint Nicholas in western Christian cultures whereas Eastern countries observe this feast on 19th December. The customs traditionally associated with this feast day have been shifted on to Christmas Day in general but customs are still observed in a variety of ways in a number of different countries. The original Saint Nick has been traced back to a Greek-born Bishop in the late third century. He rose to prominence amongst the saints as he was the patron of so many groups, especially children, developing the characteristic of the magical gift-bringer. This is credited to two stories from his life.
In the first tale three young girls are saved from a life in prostitution when the Bishop secretly delivered three bags of gold coins to their indebted father to use as their dowries.
The second tale was very well known in the middle ages when Saint Nick entered an inn where the owner had killed three boys and pickled their dismembered corpses in the basement. The saint not only sensed the crime but resurrected the victims as well.
Arranged marriages for gold, child dismemberment...you think you know a guy....
The National Geographic Channel webpage have a very fascinating article on the development of the story of Saint Nicholas and his transformation into Santa Claus over history. The page includes a short video on the story that glosses over the gruesome elements of the earlier stories.
But the best resource for teachers and those of you fascinated about the history of Saint Nick is the St Nicholas center which has an outstanding resource section here
We have also produced a "need to know" article on Saint Nicholas here
Spanish Constitution Day
Those of you living in Spain will be aware in the early stages of December, we are gifted two bank holiday dates that more often than not form an epic holiday stretch prior to Christmas. The first of these dates is the 6th of December, which is a national holiday to celebrate the Spanish constitution being confirmed by national referendum on this date in 1978.
The Spanish Constitution is available in English as a pdf document here
Bulldogz provided a written and audio briefing article on the Spanish post Dictatorship consensus here
December 6 in History
Events
1492 – After exploring island of Cuba for gold, surmising it for Japan, Columbus lands on island similar to Castile, naming it Hispaniola.
1897 – London becomes the world's first city to host licensed taxicabs.
1907 – A coal mine explosion at Monongah, West Virginia, kills 362 workers.
1921 – The Anglo-Irish Treaty is signed in London by British and Irish representatives.
1922 – One year to the day after the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the Irish Free State comes into existence.
1978 – Spain ratifies the Spanish Constitution of 1978 in a referendum.
Births
1285 – Ferdinand IV of Castile (d. 1312)
1421 – Henry VI of England (d. 1471)
Deaths
343 – Saint Nicholas, Greek bishop and saint (b. 270)
1988 – Roy Orbison, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1936)
Christmas films
When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Emjay Anthony) gets disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. This lack of festive spirit unleashes the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers.
Group F 3rd Seed and a great horror flick for those who indulge in the Christmas season horror and gothic story telling
With their daughter, Blair, away, Luther and Nora Krank decide to skip Christmas all together until she decides to come home, causing an uproar when they have to celebrate it at the last minute.
3rd Seed in Group E, based on a John Grisham book, a surprisingly fun Christmas ride that should get more credit than it does. Another Tim Allen Christmas performance.
Christmas music
On St. Nicholas's day there is no better Christmas song than Beach Boys "Little Saint Nick". Bob along to the festive fun on the song homepage here.