The United States does not have national holidays in the sense of days on which all employees in the U.S. receive a day free from work and all business is halted. The U.S. Federal government can only recognize national holidays that pertain to its own employees; it is at the discretion of each state or local jurisdiction to determine official holiday schedules. There are eleven such Federal national holidays, ten annual and one quadrennial holiday (Inauguration Day). The annual Federal holidays are widely observed by state and local governments; however, they may alter the dates of observance or add or subtract holidays according to local custom. Pursuant to the Uniform Holidays Bill of 1968 (taking effect in 1971), official holidays are observed on a Monday, except for New Years Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. There are also U.S. state holidays particular to individual U.S. states.
Public holidays in the United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The United States does not have national holidays in the sense of days on which all employees in the U.S receive a day free from work and all business is halted The U.S Federal government can only recognize national holidays that pertain to its own employees; it is at the discretion of each state or local jurisdiction to determine official holiday schedules There are eleven such Federal [national] holidays, ten annual and one quadrennial holiday (Inauguration Day) The annual Federal holidays are widely observed by state and local governments; however, they may alter the dates of observance or add or subtract holidays according to local custom Pursuant to the Uniform Holidays Bill of 1968 (taking effect in 1971), official holidays are observed on a Monday, except for New Year's Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas There are also U.S state holidays particular to individual U.S states All malls, shopping centers and most other retail businesses close only on Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas days, but remain open on all other holidays (half day on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, and sometimes on other major holidays) Private businesses often observe only the "big seven" holidays (New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas) Some also add the Friday after Thanksgiving, Good Friday, or one or more of the other federal/state holidays In February or March, the date varies, a festive season (Carnival) leading up to Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras ends with Ash Wednesday (40 days before Easter, not counting Sundays), which starts the penitential season of Lent in the Christian calendar First Sunday in February is Super Bowl Sunday The day of the National Football League's championship, the Super Bowl, which is the top prize in the sport of American football and the final football game of the season Festivities generally include in-home parties and watching the game on television with beverages and snacks February is Groundhog Day the day on which the behavior of a groundhog emerging from its burrow [hole in the ground] is said to predict the onset of Spring February 14 is Valentine's Day a traditional celebration of love and romance, including the exchange of cards, candy, flowers, and other gifts March 17, Saint Patrick's Day, is a holiday honoring Saint Patrick and celebrates Irish culture The 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 is April Fools' Day A day to play tricks on family, friends, and coworkers, if so inclined April Fools’ Day is referred to as Atheist Day, implying that atheists are fools This day used to be the start of the New Year The Friday before Easter is called Good Friday, the Friday of Holy Week, where Christians commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus One Sunday in the range March 22 to April 25 is Easter or Resurrection Sunday which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus For some Christians, Easter is a day of religious services and the gathering of family Many Americans follow the tradition 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 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) Protestant Churches and the Roman Catholic Church celebrate Easter on a different Sunday (most years) than the Eastern Orthodox churches April 22 (varies by location and observance) is Earth Day a celebration of environmentalism The last Friday in April is called Arbor Day a day for planting trees May 5th is 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, often celebrated even by non-Mexican-Americans Additionally, this "holiday" is often mistaken by Americans as being Mexican Independence Day, which is actually observed on September 16 The second Sunday in May is Mother's Day which honors mothers and motherhood (it was made a "Federal Holiday" by Presidential order, although most Federal agencies are already closed on Sundays) June 14th is Flag Day and it commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, in 1777 The third Sunday in June is Father's Day Father’s Day honors fathers and fatherhood August 26th is Women's Equality Day celebrating the fight for and progress towards, equality for women Women's Equality Day was established by the United States Congress in 1971 to commemorate two anniversaries: Passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution ensuring Woman Suffrage in 1920 and a nation-wide demonstration for equal rights, the Women's Strike for Equality, in 1970 September 11th is Patriot Day, a discretionary day of remembrance designated in memory of the 2,977 casualties in the September 11, 2001 attacks September 17th is Constitution/Citizenship Day and commemorates the adoption of the Constitution of the United States In September or October (depending on the Hebrew (Jewish) calendar) Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are celebrated October Leif Erikson Day A holiday to swim, imitate Vikings, and celebrate that Leif Ericson was the first European to set foot on America 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 The fourth Friday in November is called “Black Friday”; the day after Thanksgiving, it is traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the United States Black Friday is not actually a holiday, but many employers give their employees the day off, increasing the number of potential shoppers 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 BC December 7, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is a day set aside to commemorate the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941 and to honor and mourn those Americans killed in the attack December 21 Winter Solstice, the winter solstice is the day with the least daylight in the Northern Hemisphere December 24 Christmas Eve Day before Christmas Day December 26 through January Kwanzaa African American holiday celebration created in 1966 by Dr Maulana Ron Karenga December 31 New Year's Eve, is the final Day of the Gregorian year is usually accompanied by much celebration Bank holiday From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the public holiday in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or in Ireland There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract The first official bank holidays were the four days named in the Bank Holidays Act 1871, but today the term is colloquially used for public holidays which are not officially bank holidays, for example Good Friday and Christmas Day List of current UK & Ireland’s holidays Current bank and public holidays Date January January 17 March The Friday before Easter Sunday The Monday after Easter Sunday 29 April 2011 First Monday in May Last Monday in May First Monday In June 12 July First Monday in August Last Monday in August Last Monday in October 30 November 25 December 26 December BOLD = holidays that are also celebrated in the United States ... commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, in 1777 The third Sunday in June is Father's Day Father’s Day honors fathers and fatherhood August 26th is Women's Equality Day celebrating the. .. working on these days, depending on their contract The first official bank holidays were the four days named in the Bank Holidays Act 1871, but today the term is colloquially used for public holidays. .. Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or in Ireland There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population