LIST OF ALL FEDERAL, RELIGIOUS AND AMERICAN TRADITIONAL HOLIDAYS
New Year's Day
is January 1. The celebration of this
federal holiday begins the night before,
when Americans gather to wish each other a
happy and prosperous coming year. Many
Americans make New Year's resolutions.
Martin Luther King
Day is a federal holiday celebrated
on the third Monday in January. The Reverend
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an
African-American clergyman who is recognized
for his tireless efforts to win civil rights
for all people through nonviolent means.
Groundhog Day
is February 2, and has been celebrated since
1887. On Groundhog Day, crowds gather in
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to see if
groundhog Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow
after emerging from his burrow, thus
predicting six more weeks of winter weather.
Valentine's Day
is celebrated on February 14. The day was
named after an early Christian martyr, and
on Valentine's Day, Americans give presents
like candy or flowers to the ones they love.
The first mass-produced valentine cards were
sold in the 1840s.
Washington's
Birthday February 21 is a federal holiday
observed the third Monday of February to
honor George Washington, the first President
of the United States. This date is commonly
called Presidents' Day and many groups honor
the legacy of past presidents on this date.
St. Patricks day March 17
Passover is on April 19
Good Friday April 22
Easter
falls on a April 24 Sunday that varies from
year to year. Easter is a Christian holiday
celebrating the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. For Christians, Easter is a day of
religious services and the gathering of
family. Many Americans follow old traditions
of coloring hard-boiled eggs and giving
children baskets of candy.
Earth Day
is observed on April 22. First celebrated in
1970 in the United States, it inspired
national legislation such as the Clean Air
and Clean Water Acts. Earth Day is designed
to promote ecology, encourage respect for
life on earth, and highlight concern over
pollution of the soil, air, and water.
National Arbor Day
was proclaimed as the last Friday in April
by President Richard Nixon in 1970. A number
of state Arbor Days are observed at other
times to coincide with the best tree
planting weather, from January and February
in the south to May in the far north. The
observance began in 1872, when Nebraska
settlers and homesteaders were urged to
plant trees on the largely treeless plains.
Mother's Day
celebrates mothers every second Sunday of
May. President Woodrow Wilson, who issued a
proclamation in 1914, asked Americans to
give a public expression of reverence to
mothers on this day. Carnations have come to
represent Mother's Day, following President
William McKinley's habit of always wearing a
white carnation, his mother's favorite
flower.
Memorial Day
is a federal holiday observed the last
Monday of May. It originally honored the
people killed in the American Civil War, but
has become a day on which the American dead
of all wars, and the dead generally, are
remembered in special programs held in
cemeteries, churches, and other public
meeting places. The flying of the American
flag is widespread.
Flag Day,
celebrated June 14, has been a
presidentially proclaimed observance since
1916. Although Flag Day is not a federal
holiday, Americans are encouraged to display
the flag outside their homes and businesses
on this day to honor the history and
heritage the American flag represents.
Father's Day
celebrates fathers every third Sunday of
June. Father's Day began in 1909 in Spokane,
Washington, when a daughter requested a
special day to honor her father, a Civil War
veteran who raised his children after his
wife died. The first presidential
proclamation honoring fathers was issued in
1966 by President Lyndon Johnson.
Independence Day
is July 4. This federal holiday honors the
nation's birthday - the adoption of the
Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
It is a day of picnics and patriotic
parades, a night of concerts and fireworks.
The flying of the American flag is
widespread.
Labor Day
is the first Monday of September. This
federal holiday honors the nation's working
people, typically with parades. For most
Americans it marks the end of the summer
vacation season and the start of the school
year.
Rosh Hashanah September 29
Yom Kippur October 8
Columbus Day
is on September 10 a federal holiday celebrated on the
second Monday in October. The day
commemorates October 12, 1492, when Italian
navigator Christopher Columbus landed in the
New World. The holiday was first proclaimed
in 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Halloween
is celebrated on October 31. On Halloween,
American children dress up in funny or scary
costumes and go "trick or treating" by
knocking on doors in their neighborhood. The
neighbors are expected to respond by giving
them small gifts of candy or money.
Veterans Day
is celebrated on November 11. Originally
called Armistice Day, this federal holiday
was established to honor Americans who had
served in World War I, but it now honors
veterans of all wars in which the U.S. has
fought. Veterans' organizations hold
parades, and the president places a wreath
on the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington
National Cemetery in Virginia.
Thanksgiving Day
November 24
is a federal holiday celebrated on the
fourth Thursday in November. In the fall of
1621, the Pilgrims held a three-day feast to
celebrate a bountiful harvest. Many regard
this event as the nation's first
Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving feast became
a national tradition and almost always
includes some of the foods served at the
first feast: roast turkey, cranberry sauce,
potatoes, and pumpkin pie.
Pearl Harbor
Remembrance Day is December 7. In
1994, Congress designated this national
observance to honor the more than 2,400
military service personnel who died on this
date in 1941, during the surprise attack on
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by Japanese forces.
The attack on Pearl Harbor caused the United
States to enter World War II.
Hanukkah December 21
Christmas Day
is a federal holiday celebrated on December
25. Christmas is a Christian holiday marking
the birth of the Christ Child. Decorating
houses and yards with lights, putting up
Christmas trees, giving gifts, and sending
greeting cards have become traditions even
for many non-Christian Americans.
Kwanzaa December 26
New Years Eve. December 31
