Immaculate Conception of Mary
Italy
This holy day and bank holiday commemorates the Immaculate Conception of Mary. (That’s not something that has anything to do with the birth of Christ, by the way; it’s just the day when the Church decided that, in fact, Mary was born without the stain of original sin). The Day of the Immaculate Conception is often considered the start of the Christmas season, when lights and nativity scenes go up and world-famous Christmas markets commence.