CELEBRATE! HOLIDAYS IN THE U.S.A. is an
introductory survey of the historical and social background of
American holidays.
People in every culture celebrate holidays. Although the word
"holiday" literally means "holy day," most
American holidays are not religious, but commemorative in nature
and origin. Because the nation is blessed with rich ethnic
heritage it is possible to trace some of the American holidays to
diverse cultural sources and traditions, but all holidays have
taken on a distinctively American flavor. In the United States,
the word "holiday" is synonymous with
"celebration! "
In the strict sense, there are no federal (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 or public ") holidays, even though the President
and Congress can legally designate holidays only for federal
government employees.
Ten holidays per year are proclaimed by the federal
government. They are as follows:
In 1971, the dates of many federal holidays were officially
moved to the nearest Monday by then-President Richard Nixon.
There are four holidays which are not necessarily celebrated on
Mondays: Thanksgiving Day, New Year's Day, Independence Day and
Christmas Day. When New Year's Day, Independence Day, or Christmas
Day 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 closed on all federal holidays. Schools and
businesses close on major holidays like Independence Day and
Christmas Day but may not always be closed, for example, on
Presidents' Day or Veterans' Day.
Federal holidays are observed according to the
legislation of individual states. The dates of these holidays,
and others, are decided upon by each state government, not by the
federal (national) government. Each state can agree on the same
date that the President has proclaimed, such as Thanksgiving Day.
State legislation can also change the date of a holiday for its
own special commemoration.
Waterloo, New York, for instance, always observes Memorial Day
on May 30 rather than on the last Monday in May, as this was
the original date on which Waterloo founded the commemoration.
Cities and towns can decide not to celebrate a federal legal
holiday at all. However, the majority of the states (and the
cities and towns within them) usually choose the date or day
celebrated by the rest of the nation.
There are other "legal" or "public"
holidays which are observed at the state or local level. The
closing of local government offices and businesses will vary.
Whether citizens have the day off from work or not depends on
local decisions. Some "legal" or "public"
holidays are specific only to an individual state. For example,
Nebraska always celebrates Arbor Day on April 22, the birthday of
the originator of the holiday. Since Arbor Day originated as a
treeplanting day, different states change the date depending on
the best season for planting trees in their region: Hawaiians
plant trees on the first Friday in November.
You can thumb through an ordinary calendar and discover many
special days i.e. "minor holidays" which are observed
by a relatively small number of people or by a particular
interest group. For example, "Girl Scouts' Birthday"
(March 12), "Citizenship Day" (September 17),
"United Nations Day" (October 24) would have limited
observance. "Hog Callers' Day" would have even less.
Events involving famous Americans, living or dead, have a
wider appeal. Many Americans may have forgotten the exact date
when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated (November 22,
1963), but they remember exactly where they were and what they
were doing when they first learned about his tragic death. Other
days commemorate events which may be personally significant for
one generation but have less relevance for another. For example,
Pearl Harbor Day (December 7) marks the day when Japanese
Imperial Forces attacked Hawaii in 1941 and brought the US into
World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his address to
the nation referred to the attack as "a day that will live
in infamy". Adults and children of the time have a personal
recollection of the day. The younger generations of today may
know of the event from their history books only.
Other holidays such as "Groundhog Day" (February
2) are whimsically observed, at least in the media. The day is
associated with folklore which has grown up in rural America. It
is believed, by some, if the groundhog, or woodchuck comes out of
its hole in the ground and sees its shadow on that day it will become
frightened and jump back in. This means there will be at least
six more weeks of winter. If it doesn't see its shadow, it will
not be afraid and spring will begin shortly.
Critics of the proliferation of holidays point an accusing
finger at greeting card manufacturers and other entrepreneurs.
The critics say that "Holiday X" is simply promoted to
get people to buy their wares. "Secretary's Day", or
"Grandparents Day" might fall into this category.
Obviously, no effort has been made to be comprehensive in
treating all holidays that Americans would possibly celebrate.
Only "major" holidays, recognized if not celebrated by
Americans in general, have been included here. Each unit is
introduced by a reading the passage about the background of the
American holiday or celebration. When relevant, a speech, song,
or poem pertaining to the holiday follows. There might be a
special feature about the holiday, such as regional or religious
factors which make the celebration different.
