Holidays in the United
States
American Holidays is an introductory survey of the historical and social background
of American holidays.
People in every culture celebrate holidays. Although the word "holiday" literally
means "holy day," most American holidays are not religious, but commemorative
in nature and origin. Because the nation is blessed with rich ethnic heritage
it is possible to trace some of the American holidays to diverse cultural sources
and traditions, but all holidays have taken on a distinctively American flavor.
In the United States, the word "holiday" is synonymous with "celebration! "
In the strict sense, there
are no federal (national)
holidays in the United
States. Each of the 50
states has jurisdiction
over its holidays. In practice,
however,
most states observe the federal ("legal or public ") holidays, even
though the President and Congress can legally designate holidays only for federal
government employees.
The following ten holidays per year are proclaimed by the federal government.
|
New Year's Day |
January 1 |
Martin Luther King
Day |
third Monday in January |
Washington's Birthday |
third Monday in February |
Memorial Day |
last Monday in May |
Independence Day |
July 4 |
Labor Day |
first Monday in September |
Columbus Day |
second Monday in
October |
Veterans Day |
November 11 |
Thanksgiving Day |
fourth Thursday in
November |
Christmas Day |
December 25 |
In 1971, the dates of
many federal holidays were
officially moved to the
nearest Monday by then-President Richard Nixon. There are five holidays
which are
not necessarily celebrated on Mondays: Thanksgiving Day, Veterans Day, New
Year's
Day, Independence Day and Christmas Day. When New Year's Day, Independence
Day, or Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, the next day is also a holiday.
When one
of these holidays falls on a Saturday, the previous day is also a holiday.
Federal government offices, including the post office, are always closed
on all federal
holidays. Schools and businesses close on major holidays like Independence
Day and Christmas Day but may not always be closed, for example, on President's
Day
or Veterans Day.
Federal holidays are observed
according to the legislation
of individual states. The
dates of these holidays,
and others, are decided
upon by each
state government,
not by the federal (national) government. Each state can agree on the
same date that the President
has proclaimed, such as
Thanksgiving Day. State
legislation can also change the date of a holiday for its own special
commemoration.
Cities and towns can decide not to celebrate a federal legal holiday
at all.
However,
the majority of the states (and the cities and towns within them) usually
choose the date or day celebrated by the rest of the nation. There are
other "legal" or "public" holidays
which are observed at the state or local level. The closing of local
government offices and businesses will vary. Whether citizens have the
day off from
work or not depends on local decisions.
Texts are abridged from U.S. State Department IIP publications and other U.S.
government materials. |