The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting
The Compassionate Friends; annual remembrance begun in 1997
Date and recurrence
Second Sunday of December
This observance follows a reusable calendar rule rather than one fixed Gregorian date. The actual date can move from year to year. Rule: Second Sunday of December
Scope and status
The verified scope stored for this record is worldwide remembrance observance for children who have died. The site preserves that boundary and does not infer broader government, global or public-holiday status from the observance name alone.
Also known as
Worldwide Candle Lighting Day
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
- Remembrance Civic Context Care.
Sources
- The Compassionate Friends — Worldwide Candle LightingBereavement Organization Dedicated Page
Frequently asked questions
When is The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting?
Second Sunday of December The stored recurrence guidance is: Second Sunday of December.
Does The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting fall on the same date every year?
It follows a recurring calendar rule, so the Gregorian date can change from year to year.
Is The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting an official public holiday?
The authority record verifies it within this scope: worldwide remembrance observance for children who have died. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when the supporting authority record explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting?
The stored designation basis is: The Compassionate Friends; annual remembrance begun in 1997. Supporting provenance includes The Compassionate Friends — Worldwide Candle Lighting. The site does not infer a separate creator or founder unless reviewed evidence establishes one.
Is The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting international or country-specific?
No single country is assigned to this record in the authority dataset. The source-defined scope is: worldwide remembrance observance for children who have died. Use that scope rather than assuming worldwide or country-specific status.
How is this page verified?
The factual layer is source-backed and keeps its date rule, scope, provenance and editorial guardrails attached to the authority record. This record was checked on 2026-09-05.
Other observances on December 13
These records also resolve to December 13, 2026 under the current authority data.
National Cream Cheese Frosting Day
Arla Foods announced December 13 as the inaugural National Cream Cheese Frosting Day in 2018.
National Day of the Horse
The U.S. Senate agreed to S. Res. 452 designating December 13, 2004 as National Day of the Horse; the American Horse Council continues to recognize December 13 as National Day of the Horse.
National Guard Birthday
The National Guard identifies 13 December as its birthday.
Pick A Pathologist Pal Day
The first-party Wellcat Holidays calendar lists Pick A Pathologist Pal Day on December 13 and identifies the collection as created by Thomas and Ruth Roy.
Republic Day
The Government of Malta’s 2026 public-holiday page lists December 13 as Republic Day and marks it as a national holiday under Malta’s National Holidays and Other Public Holidays framework.