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    The Queen of Shaymin
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    PXR Christmas Advent Calendar: December 7

    Apologies for this being a bit later in the day. A fire alarm at 2 AM caused me to over sleep just a bit. But never fear! Your latest advent calendar entry is here.

    December 7th is a significant day in many countries around the world, though not always for good reasons. For the American users on the site, December 7, 1941, is a day that should live on in infamy, as it is the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. It is one of the reasons all flags are at half mast today, to honor those that fell during the attack. However, rather than focus on the atrocities, in the Christmas spirit I think it's best to look at the heroes of the day. People like First Class Seaman James Ward, who was stationed on the USS Oklahoma. He stayed in his turret even after the ship was doomed to sink in order to use his flashlight to guide his other crew members off the ship. Or Doris Miller, a mess hall attendant that helped the injured on the USS West Virginia and despite having no weapons training was able to use a gun to keep the planes at bay from causing further damage to the ship. Or Donald Ross, who manned his station in the forward dynamo room of the USS Nevada even after smoke and fire caused him to pass out two different times. These men and many others are part of the reason why this holiday should be remembered and honored in US history.

    But on a happier note, shifting to South America, in the country of Colombia, December 7 is also Día de las velitas, or Day of the Little Candles. On this night, people place candles and paper lanterns on windowsills, balconies, porches, sidewalks, streets, parks, squares, etc. in honor of the Virgin Mary and her Immaculate Conception. In the Catholic Church, the Immaculate Conception takes place on December 8 and is a holy day of obligation, meaning Catholics must attend church that day. It celebrates the beginning of Jesus's life prior to his birth. While the origin of the candle light celebration is unclear, it is believed to have been derived from either Dia de los Muertos or from the hanukkah tradition, both of which make heavy use of candles. Other light displays can be seen as well, such as Christmas lights and fireworks depending on what city you are in. It is also thought another reason the celebrations start on December 7 is due to an ancient indigenous holiday involving the Quimbayan Christmas Panther. It is a blue panther with a yellow tail and the candlelight is supposed to resemble that tail in order to ward off future panther attacks. As a result, panther statues are often also set out. ALl in all a very interesting holiday.
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    @Noblejanobii Thank you for this interesting post about historic events and traditions of December 7. Sorry to hear about the fire alarm at 2 AM. :/
    December 7 is also a significant day in my birth city, as you can read here.



    Special thanks to Fate for this cute avatar and this cute banner! :D
    Special thanks to AD for this awesome Chikorita GIF! :D

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    The Queen of Shaymin
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cleobel View Post
    @Noblejanobii Thank you for this interesting post about historic events and traditions of December 7. Sorry to hear about the fire alarm at 2 AM. :/
    December 7 is also a significant day in my birth city, as you can read here.
    Feast days aren't very well celebrated in the US because we aren't a hugely Catholic country but my family still celebrates a lot of them. St. Ambrose is actually a super cool saint because he's one of the biggest influences on St. Augustine and one of the four original doctors of the church (doctors being people with large liturgical influences on the church). I haven't been able to study him much other than I know he's the patron saint of bees for some reason.
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