In the U.S., most retail businesses close on Thanksgiving and Christmas, but remain open on all other holidays. Private businesses often observe only the "big six" holidays (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). Some also add the Friday after Thanksgiving, or one or more of the other federal holidays.
Most American holidays recognize events or people from U.S. history, although two are shared in common with many other countries: Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Thanksgiving in the United States is on the fourth Thursday in November.
The holiday season in the winter traditionally runs between Thanksgiving Day and New Year's Day, which encompasses Black Friday, the Winter solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Kwanzaa and New Year's Eve.
Summer traditionally (though unofficially) runs between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
List of Holidays
Currently, there are eleven U.S. Federal holidays, most (but not all) of which are also state holidays.
| Date | Official Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day | Celebrates beginning of the Gregorian calendar year. Festivities include countdowns to midnight (12:00 AM). |
| Third Monday in January | Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | Honors Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Rights leader; combined with other holidays in several states (King's birthday was January 15) |
| January 20, every fourth year, following Presidential election | Inauguration Day | Swearing-in of President of the United States and other elected federal officials. Observed only by federal government employees in Washington, D.C., and certain counties and cities of Maryland and Virginia, in order to relieve congestion that occurs with this major event. Note: Takes place on January 21 if the 20th is a Sunday (although the President is still privately inaugurated on the 20th). |
| Third Monday in February | Washington's Birthday | Honors George Washington. Often popularly observed as "Presidents Day" in recognition of other American presidents, such as Abraham Lincoln (who was born February 12). The legal name of the federal holiday, however, is "Washington's Birthday".(It was historically observed on February 22, prior to passage of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act by Congress) |
| Last Monday in May | Memorial Day | Also known as "Decoration Day", Memorial Day originated in the nineteenth century as a day to remember the soldiers who gave their lives in the American Civil War by decorating their graves with flowers. Later, the practice of decorating graves came to include members of one's own family, whether they saw military service or not. Memorial Day is traditionally the beginning of the summer recreational season in America. (It was historically observed on May 30, prior to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act) |
| July 4 | Independence Day | Celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence. More commonly known as "the Fourth of July". |
| First Monday in September | Labor Day | Celebrates achievements of workers and the labor movement. Labor Day traditionally marks the end of the summer recreational season in America. The following day often marks the beginning of autumn classes in primary and secondary schools. |
| Second Monday in October | Columbus Day | Celebrated since 1792 in New York City, honors Christopher Columbus, who landed in the Americas on October 12, 1492. In some areas it is also a celebration of Italian-American culture and heritage. Congress and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt set aside Columbus Day in 1934 as a Federal holiday at the behest of the Knights of Columbus (historically observed on October 12, prior to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act) |
| November 11 | Veterans Day | Also known as Armistice Day, and very occasionally called "Remembrance Day", 'Veterans Day' is the American name for the international holiday which commemorates the signing of the Armistice ending World War I. In the United States, the holiday honors all veterans of the United States Armed Forces, whether or not they have served in a conflict; but it especially honors the surviving veterans of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The American holiday was briefly moved to the final Monday in October under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, but the change was greatly disliked and soundly criticized - among other reasons, because it put Veterans Day out of sync with international observance; so it was restored to November 11. |
| Fourth Thursday in November | Thanksgiving Day | Traditionally celebrates giving thanks for the autumn harvest, and customarily includes the consumption of a turkey dinner. (historically observed on various days, but finally becoming so fixed to the fourth Thursday in November in the hearts and minds of Americans, that Americans rebelled (albeit politely) when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt attempted to move it to the third Thursday of November, at the request of numerous powerful American merchants) |
| December 25 | Christmas Day | A Christian holiday that celebrates the belief in the birth of Jesus Christ, observed on 25 December. Aspects of the holiday include decorations, emphasis on family togetherness, and gift giving. Designated a federal holiday by Congress and President U.S. Grant in 1870. The government promotes the secular aspects of the holiday, but does not promote or endorse the religious beliefs associated with it. |
Federal observances
Federal observances differ from Federal holidays in that Federal employees only receive a day free from work on holidays, not observances. Federal observances that are designated by Congress appear in Title 36 of the United States Code ( et seq.). Below is a list of all observances so designatedj. Note that not all of the laws below require that the observance be declared, in some cases, such as , Congress simply requested the President to issue a proclamation of the observance.
The President may also declare selected Federal observances by presidential proclamation. Those observances are referenced at the List of observances in the United States by presidential proclamation.
[edit] Days
- — Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day (First Saturday after Labor Day)
- — Child Health Day (The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation designating the first Monday in October as Child Health Day)
- — Constitution Day and Citizenship Day (September 17)
- — Columbus Day (The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation designating the second Monday in October as Columbus Day.)
- — Father's Day (Third Sunday in June)
- — Flag Day (June 14)
- — Gold Star Mother's Day (Last Sunday in September)
- — Law Day, U.S.A. (May 1)
- — Leif Erikson Day (The President may issue each year a proclamation designating October 9 as Leif Erikson Day.)
- — Loyalty Day (May 1)
- — Memorial Day
- — Mother's Day (Second Sunday in May)
- — National Aviation Day (August 19)
- — National Day of Prayer (First Thursday in May)
- — National Defense Transportation Day (The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation designating the third Friday in May as National Defense Transportation Day.)
- — National Freedom Day (February 1)
- — National Grandparents' Day (The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation designating the first Sunday in September after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day.)
- — National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day (July 27 of each year until 2003)
- — National Maritime Day (May 22)
- — National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (December 7)
- — Pan American Aviation Day (The President may issue each year a proclamation designating December 17 as Pan American Aviation Day.)
- — Parents' Day (Fourth Sunday in July)
- — Peace Officers Memorial Day (The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation designating May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day in honor of Federal, State, and local officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.)
- — Stephen Foster Memorial Day (The President may issue each year a proclamation designating January 13 Stephen Foster Memorial Day.)
- — Thomas Jefferson's birthday (April 13)
- — White Cane Safety Day (The President may issue each year a proclamation designating October 15 as White Cane Safety Day.)
- — Wright Brothers Day (December 17)
- — Patriot Day (September 11)
- — Halloween (October 31)
Other holidays observed nationwide
In addition to the official holidays, many religious, ethnic, and other traditional holidays populate the calendar, as well as observances proclaimed by officials and lighter celebrations. These are rarely observed by businesses as holidays; indeed, many are viewed as opportunities for commercial promotion. Because of this commercialization, some critics apply the deprecatory term Hallmark holiday to such days, after the Hallmark greeting card company.
| Date | Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| February | Black History Month | Celebrating the contributions and culture of African-Americans (Black Americans) (U.S. Citizens descended from Africa) throughout U.S. History. |
| February or March, date varies | Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday | A festive season (Carnival) leading up to Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Closes with Ash Wednesday (40 days before Easter, not counting Sundays), which starts the season of Lent in the Christian calendar. |
| February 2 | Groundhog Day | Prediction from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania groundhog on whether the country will have six more weeks of winter. |
| First Sunday of February | Super Bowl Sunday | The Day that the championship game for the National Football League is held on. Super Bowl parties are common. |
| February 14 | Valentine's Day | Traditional celebration of love and romance, including the exchange of cards, candy, flowers, and other gifts. |
| March 17 | St. Patrick's Day | A celebration of Irish heritage and culture, based on the Catholic feast of St. Patrick. Primary activity is simply the wearing of green clothing ("wearing o' the green"), although drinking beer dyed green is also popular. Attending St. Patrick's Day parades has historically been more popular in the United States than in Ireland. |
| April 1 | April Fools' Day | A day to play tricks on family, friends, and coworkers, if so inclined, this day used to be the start of the New Year, the tradition started when New Year's Day was moved from April 1st, to January 1. |
| late March or April (Date varies) (March 21 for 2008) | Good Friday | Commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ by Pontius Pilate, believed by Christians to have taken place (traditionally) on April 1, 33 AD. Sometimes celebrated as a "Spring holiday" for Universities and schools in certain states. |
| Spring Sunday, date varies, first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon after the vernal equinox | Easter | Celebrates the Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus. 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. On the next day, Easter Monday, the President of the United States holds an annual Easter egg roll on the White House lawn for young children. The holiday is also often celebrated as a nonsectarian spring holiday. Not generally observed by most businesses as it always falls on a Sunday. Most financial markets and some other businesses close on the Friday prior, Good Friday (which is a state holiday in many states). Roman Catholic and Protestant groups celebrate Easter on a different Sunday (most years) than Orthodox groups. |
| April 22 (varies by location and observance) | Earth Day | A day used to promote environmentalism. |
| Spring, date varies | Arbor Day | A day for the planting of trees, commonly the last Friday of April but depending on the climate of the state. |
| May 5 | Cinco de Mayo | Primarily a celebration of Mexican culture by Mexican-Americans living in the United States. Although this is the anniversary of the victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, Cinco de Mayo is far more important in the USA than in México itself. Additionally, this "holiday" is often mistaken by Americans as being Mexican Independence Day, which is actually observed on September 16. |
| Second Sunday in May | Mother's Day | Honors mothers and motherhood (made a "Federal Holiday" by Presidential order, although most Federal agencies are already closed on Sundays) |
| June 14 | Flag Day | Honors the American flag, encourages citizens to fly the flag and study its traditions. |
| Third Sunday in June | Father's Day | Honors fathers and fatherhood. |
| September or October (depends on Hebrew calendar) | Rosh Hashanah | Traditional beginning of the Jewish High Holidays. It is also celebrates the beginning of a new year on the Hebrew calendar. |
| September or October (depends on Hebrew calendar) | Yom Kippur | Traditional end of and highest of the Jewish High Holidays. |
| October 12 | Columbus Day | Honors the first European explorer known to have set foot on North America. |
| October 30 | Mischief Night | Night before Halloween, notorious as a night where children and teenagers cause mild mischief around their town, such as toilet papering houses or throwing eggs. |
| October 31 | Halloween | Celebrates All Hallow's Eve, decorations include jack o'lanterns, costume wearing parties, and candy such as candy corn are also part of the holiday. Kids go trick-or-treating to neighbors who give away candy. Not generally observed by businesses. |
| first Tuesday after the first Monday in November | Election Day | Observed by the federal and state governments in applicable years; legal holiday in some states. |
| Friday after Thanksgiving Day | Black Friday | Kickoff to the Christmas shopping season, known to be the busiest shopping day of the year |
| December (depends on Hebrew calendar) | Hanukkah | an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. |
| December 7 | Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day | Day to mourn the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941 |
| December 24 | Christmas Eve | Day before Christmas Day |
| December 26 through January 1 | Kwanzaa | African American holiday celebration created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga |
| December 31 | New Year's Eve | Final Day of the Gregorian year. Usually accompanied by much celebration. |
State holidays
In addition to the federal holidays, individual states observe the following holidays:
- Alabama: Confederate Memorial Day, fourth Monday in April
- Alaska: Alaska Day, anniversary of transfer to U.S. control, October 18; Seward's Day, anniversary of purchase from Russia, [[March 27]
- Arkansas: Daisy Gatson Bates Day, February 16, observed with Washington's Birthday
- California: Abraham Lincoln's Birthday, February 12, César Chávez's birthday, March 31 (also may be optionally observed in Colorado and Texas); Columbus Day, second Monday in October[7]
- Colorado: Colorado Day August 1, 1876 Colorado became a state. This date is recognized/celebrated each year by state residents.
- Connecticut: Lincoln's Birthday, February 12; Good Friday, date varies
- Delaware: Return Day, Thursday following Election Day; every two years, celebrates the returns of an election, having political opponents "bury the hatchet" in a bucket of sand
- District of Columbia: Emancipation Day, April 16
- Florida: Pascua Florida Day, April 2
- Georgia: Robert E. Lee's Birthday and Confederate Memorial Day
- Hawaii: Good Friday, date varies; May Day or Lei Day, date varies, usually May 1st; Kamehameha Day, June 11; Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day, March 26; Admission Day or Statehood Day, third Friday in August
- Idaho: Idaho Human Rights Day, January 19
- Illinois: Abraham Lincoln's Birthday, February 12 (most state offices close, many schools choose to close on President's Day). Pulaski Day first Monday of every March.
- Kansas: Kansas Day, January 29
- Louisiana: Mardi Gras, date varies (3 February - 9 March); Good Friday, date varies, celebrated elsewhere
- Massachusetts: Patriot's Day, 3rd Monday of April, traditionally April 19, anniversary of Battles of Lexington and Concord
- Maine: Patriot's Day, April 19, anniversary of Battles of Lexington and Concord
- Maryland: Maryland Day, March 25, commemoration of first European settlement of Maryland
- Mississippi: Mardi Gras Day, date varies
- Missouri: Truman Day, May 9
- Nebraska: Arbor Day, last Friday of April, celebrated elsewhere
- Nevada: Nevada Day, October 31, commemorates date of admission to the Union, observed on last Friday of October.
- New Hampshire: Civil Rights Day, January 19
- Oklahoma: Statehood Day, November 16
- Rhode Island: V.J. Day or Victory Day, second Monday in August
- South Dakota: Native American Day, second Monday in October
- Tennessee[8]
- Legal holidays: Good Friday, date varies;
- Days of special observance: Robert E. Lee Day, January 19; Abraham Lincoln Day, February 12; Andrew Jackson Day, March 15; Mother's Day, Second Sunday in May; Statehood Day, June 1, commemorates date of admission to the Union; Memorial or Confederate Decoration Day, June 3; Nathan Bedford Forrest Day, July 13
- Texas: Confederate Veterans Day, January 19; Juneteenth, June 19
- Utah: Pioneer Day, July 24
- Vermont: Town Meeting Day, first Tuesday in March
- Virginia: Lee-Jackson Day, Friday before the third Monday in January
- West Virginia: West Virginia Day, June 20
Southern holidays
May or may not be legal holidays, depending on state law.
- Confederate Memorial Day, usually last Monday of April
- Jefferson Davis's Birthday
- Robert E. Lee's Birthday (often observed with MLK Day on January 19)
- See also: Lee-Jackson-King day
-
- Alabama, observed with MLK Day, legal holiday[4]
- Arkansas, January 19, observed with MLK Day
- Florida, January 19, legal holiday
- Georgia, January 19, may be celebrated other days (Friday after Thanksgiving, for example)
- Mississippi, January 19, legal holiday
- Tennessee, January 19
- Nathan Bedford Forrest Day
- Tennessee, July 13
- Mardi Gras, held the day before Ash Wednesday.
[edit] Other holidays locally observed
- Bunker Hill Day, June 17 (Suffolk County, Massachusetts)
- Brooklyn-Queens Day, (New York City, NY), first Thursday in June
- Casimir Pulaski Day (primarily Illinois, first Monday in March)
- Day of the Dead (November 1, sometimes celebrated in areas with large Mexican-American populations; see Dia de los Muertos)
- Devil's Night (primarily Michigan, October 30)
- Dyngus Day (Polish-origin holiday, day after Easter, celebrated New York, Indiana, Michigan and North Dakota)
- Evacuation Day, March 17 (Suffolk County and Cambridge, Massachusetts; same date as St. Patrick's Day)
- Father Damien Day (Hawaii), April 15
- Indigenous Peoples Day, Berkeley, California, celebrated in lieu of Columbus Day
- International Women's Day, Berkeley, California, March 8
- Loyalty Day (domestic counterweight to May Day)
- Meck-Dec Day, (Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina), (May 20), celebrates the signing of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.
- Midsummer (celebrated in Minnesota and other Scandinavian-American areas)
- Return Day, (November 4, after noon in Sussex County, Delaware; population meets to hear election returns, party)
- Sweetest Day (celebrated on third Saturday in October in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, involves giving small presents to family, friends and lovers)
- Von Steuben Day, (mid-September, celebrated primarily by German Americans)
- Woolseymas, (December 6) A commemoration of the 1933 decision by U.S. District Court Judge John M. Woolsey that the James Joyce novel "Ulysses" was not pornographic and therefore could not be obscene.
[edit] Non-holiday notable days
- Super Tuesday (political event, variable)
- Tax Freedom Day (day in which an average citizen is said to have worked enough to pay his or her taxes for the year, used by opponents of taxation)
- Tax Day (federal and state tax deadline, (April 15) or if on weekend or holiday, next closest Monday or business day)
- Oktoberfest (celebrated most often in areas with contemporary or historic populations of German heritage)
- Festivus (December 23rd): made famous on the TV show Seinfeld.
