December

Christmas season
Tanad Valley, Denbigh and Montgomery, Wales : Traditional 'Welsh Carol Singing'.

Pen-coed, Glamorgan, Wales : 'Mari Lywd Mummers' (See Mystical WWW Arts : Drama & Mumming : Dance & Morris).

Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur
Sikh holiday and festival : (1997 December 4, 1998 November 24).

Christmas Day and New Year's Day
Kirkwall, Mainland, Orkney, Scotland : Traditional 'Ba' Game' activities.

Marquis de Sade died on this day in 1814.

'St. Barbara's Day'. (For further information see Mystical WWW Christmas Special).

Celtic feast day of 'Justinian', sixth century, hermit on Ramsey Island, off the Pembrokeshire coast. Born in Brittany, travelled to Wales to study. Honarius lived with his sister and her maid on the island. The women were sent shore and the two men were joined by David from Menevia. Justinian and David were believed to have become very close and that once when David was ill, Justinian decided to row to see him. The sailors turned out to be devils, and murderers but he realised and escaped. They had lied, David had not been ill. The next time they appeared Justinian was murdered by his three servants who cut off his head having been incited to do so by the devils. It is said that a healing spring burst forth from where his head fell but this was of no use to the servants as they became victims of leprosy.

Ancient Egyptian festival dedicated to 'Neith'.

Celtic feast day of 'Budoc', fifth century monk, grandson of the King of Brest, exiled as a young boy in Cornwall. There are similarities between his birth and that of Kentigern (13 January) and Cenydd (27 June). His father placed his wife in a barrel on the sea believing that his wife had been faithful, saying that the child she was carrying was not his child. She is said to have given birth at sea protected by the spirit of Brigid (1 February)and come ashore near Waterford, Ireland. Died in 500.

Alfred Nobel, inventor of dynamite, and instigator of the Nobel Prizes, died on this day in 1896.