American Holidays
American Holidays
Federal Holidays
Find the dates for this year's federal holidays.
Federal
law establishes the following public holidays for federal employees. If
the holiday falls during the weekend, it may be observed on a different
day.
Many government offices are closed on federal holidays and
some private businesses may close as well. If you plan to visit a
government office on or around a federal holiday, you should contact
them to determine when they will be open. Find contact information for government departments and agencies.
New
Year's Day is January 1. The celebration of this 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. See the New Year's resolutions that are popular every year.
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
is 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.
Washington's Birthday
Washington's Birthday
is observed the third Monday of February in 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.
Memorial Day
Memorial Day
is a 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 are remembered.
Independence Day
is July 4. This 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.
Labor Day
Labor Day
is the first Monday of September. This 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.
Columbus Day
Columbus Day
is a 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.
Veterans Day
Veterans Day
is celebrated on November 11. This holiday was originally called
Armistice Day and established to honor Americans who had served in World
War I. 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
Thanksgiving Day
is 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.
Christmas Day
Christmas Day is a 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 holiday traditions even for many non-Christian Americans.
Other Celebrations and Observances
There are many commonly observed celebrations in the United States
that are not federal holidays. Some of these observances honor groups of
people, such as National African American History Month and Women's
History Month, or causes, such as National Oceans Month and National
Substance Abuse Prevention Month. Many of these holidays and observances
are proclaimed by the President ever year. View recent Presidential proclamations.
These are some of the most popular American celebrations and observances that occur every year.
Groundhog Day
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
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.
Earth Day
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.
Arbor Day
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 of the
year to coincide with the best tree planting weather. The observance
began in 1872, when Nebraska settlers and homesteaders were urged to
plant trees on the largely treeless plains.
Mother's Day
Mother's Day
is the second Sunday of May. President Woodrow Wilson issued a
proclamation in 1914 that started the holiday. He 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.
Flag Day
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
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.
Patriot Day
September 11, 2001,
was a defining moment in American history. On that day, terrorists
hijacked four commercial airliners to strike targets in the United
States. Nearly 3,000 people died as a consequence of the attacks.
Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance is observed on
September 11 in honor of the victims of these attacks.
Halloween
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.
Pearl Harbor Day
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.
Ethnic and Religious Holidays
Various ethnic and religious groups in America celebrate days with
special meaning to them even though these are not national holidays. For
example, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on
Easter, Jews observe their high holy days in September, Muslims
celebrate Ramadan, and African Americans celebrate Kwanzaa. There are
many other religious and ethnic celebrations in the United States.