Federal holidays in the United States

HOLIDAYS IN THE USA

Federal holidays in the United States

In the strict sense, there are no 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”)* public holidays even though the President and Vice-President can legally designate holidays only for federal government employees.

There are 10 annual (New Year’s Day; M. L. King’s day; G. Washington’s Birthday; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; Columbus Day; Veteran’s Day; Thanksgiving; Christmas) and 1 quadrennial (Inauguration Day) holidays in the United States.

Although the word “holiday” literary means “holy day”, most American holidays are not religious, but commemorative in nature and origin.

In 1971, the dates of many federal holidays were officially moved to the nearest Monday by then-President Richard Nixon. There are 4 holidays which are not necessarily celebrated on Mondays: Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day, Independence Day and Christmas. When New Year’s Day, Independence Day or Christmas 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 close on all federal holidays. Schools and businesses close on major holidays like Independence Day and Christmas but may not always be closed, for example, on Washington’s Birthday or Veteran’s Day.

New Year’s Day

In the United States, the federal holiday is January first, but Americans begin celebrating on December 31. Sometimes people have masquerade balls, where guests dress up in costumes and cover their faces with masks. According to an old tradition, guests unmask at midnight.

At New Year’s Eve parties across the United States are organized on December 31; many guests watch television as part of the festivities. Most of the television channels show Times Square in the heart of New York City. At one minute before midnight, a lighted ball drops slowly from the top to the bottom of a pole on one of the buildings. People count down at the same time as the ball drops. When it reaches the bottom, the New Year sign is lighted. People hug and kiss, and wish each other “Happy New Year! ”

On January first, Americans visit friends, relatives and neighbors. There is plenty to eat and drink when you just drop in to wish your loved ones and friends the best for the year ahead. Traditional foods include black-eyed peas and collard greens. The black-eyed peas are for good luck and the greens are to insure that you will always have some “green” in your pocket throughout the year.

Many families and friends watch television together enjoying the Tournament of Roses parade preceding the Rose Bowl football game in Pasadena, California. The parade was started in 1887, when a zoologist who had seen one in France suggested to the Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena, California that they sponsor “an artistic celebration of the ripening of the oranges” at the beginning of the year. At first the parade was a line of decorated horse-drawn private carriages. Athletic events were held in the afternoon, and in the evening, a ball where winners of the events of the day and the most beautiful float were announced. In later years colleges began to compete in football games on New Year’s Day, and these gradually replaced other athletic competitions. The parade of floats grew longer from year to year, and flower decorations grew more elaborate.

The theme of the Tournament of Roses varies from year to year. Today the parade is usually more than five miles long with thousands of participants in the marching bands and on the floats. City officials ride in the cars pulling the floats. A celebrity is chosen to be the grand marshal, or official master of ceremonies. The queen of the tournament rides on a special float which is always the most elaborate one of the parade, being made from more than 250, 000 flowers. Spectators and participants alike enjoy the pageantry associated with the occasion. Preparation for next year’s Tournament of Roses begins on January 2.

In the warmer regions all around the country there are other games whose names are characteristic of the state. People watch the Orange Bowl game in Florida, the Cotton Bowl in Texas, and the Sugar Bowl in Louisiana. In most cultures, people promise to better themselves in the following year. Americans have inherited the tradition and even write down their New Year’s resolutions. Whatever the resolution, most of them are broken or forgotten by February!

Martin Luther King’s Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a United States holiday marking the birthdate of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., observed on the third Monday of January each year, around the time of King’s birthday, January 15. It is one of three United States federal holidays to commemorate an individual person.

King was the chief spokesman of the nonviolent civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. He was assassinated in 1968.

The campaign for a federal holiday in King’s honor began soon after his assassination. Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed in 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

Schools, offices and federal agencies are closed for the holiday. On Monday there are quiet memorial services as well as elaborate ceremonies in honor of Dr. King. On the preceding Sunday, ministers of all religions give special sermons reminding everyone of Dr. King’s lifelong work for peace. All weekend, popular radio stations play songs and speeches* that tell the history of the Civil Rights Movement. Television channels broadcast special programs with filmed highlights of Dr. King’s life and times.

George Washington’s Birthday

According to the federal government, the holiday observed on the third Monday in February is officially Washington’s Birthday. But many Americans believe that this holiday is now called “Presidents’ Day”, in honor of both Presidents Washington and Lincoln, whose birthdays are February 22 and February 12, respectively.

In 1968, Congress passed the Monday Holidays Act, which moved the official observance of Washington’s birthday from February 22 to the third Monday in February. Some reformers had wanted to change the name of the holiday as well, to Presidents’ Day, in honor of both Lincoln and Washington, but that proposal was rejected by Congress, and the holiday remained officially Washington’s Birthday.

Many American schools use the days leading up to Presidents Day to educate students about the history of the Presidents of the United States, especially Washington* and Lincoln.

Since 1862, there has been a tradition in the United States Senate that George Washington’s Farewell Address be read on his birthday. Citizens had asked that this be done in light of the approaching Civil War. The annual tradition continues with the reading of the address on or near Washington’s Birthday.

Community celebrations often display a lengthy heritage. Historic Alexandria, Virginia, hosts a month-long tribute, including the longest running George Washington Birthday parade, while the community of Eustis, Florida, continues its annual ‘”George Fest” celebration begun in 1902. At the George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Westmoreland County, Virginia, and at Mount Vernon in Alexandria, Virginia, visitors are treated to birthday celebrations throughout the federal holiday weekend and through February 22.

George Washington