Here’s a quick reference to the most common holidays celebrated here in the United States. Bookmark it and come back often!
New Year’s Day is January 1st. The celebration of this federal holiday begins the night before, when Americans gather to wish each other a happy and prosperous coming year.
Valentine’s Day is February 14th. 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.
Easter varies from year to year and falls on a spring Sunday. Easter is a Christian holiday. For Christians, Easter is a day of religious services and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Earth Day is on April 22. Earth Day is designed to promote ecology, encourage respect for life on earth, and highlight concern over pollution of the soil, air, and water.
Mother’s Day celebrates mothers every second Sunday of May. Carnations have come to represent Mother’s Day.
Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed the last Monday in 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.
Father’s Day celebrates fathers every 3rd 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.
Columbus Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the 2nd 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. It 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 is a celebrated on the 4th Thursday in November. In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest.
Christmas Day is a federal holiday celebrated on December 25th. Christmas is a Christian holiday marking the birth of the Jesus Christ. Decorating houses with lights and decorations, putting up Christmas trees, giving gifts, and sending greeting cards have become holiday traditions even for many non-Christian Americans.
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