December 16 Holidays

Victory Day of Bangladesh — Vijay Diwas — marks December 16, 1971, when Pakistan’s military surrendered to the joint forces of Bangladesh and India, ending the Bangladesh Liberation War and confirming Bangladesh’s independence — a war in which an estimated 300,000 to 3 million civilians were killed. Day of Reconciliation is a South African national holiday on December 16 — a date freighted with two histories: December 16, 1838, when the Boers defeated the Zulu at the Battle of Blood River, and the ANC’s founding of its armed wing uMkhonto we Sizwe on December 16, 1961 — now observed to promote national reconciliation. National Chocolate Covered Anything Day celebrates the practice of enrobing virtually any food in chocolate — from strawberries and pretzels to bacon and potato chips — whose commercial market exceeds $50 billion annually. Vijay Diwas is the Indian military observance of the same December 16, 1971 surrender, honoring the Indian Armed Forces who fought alongside Bangladesh.