Holidays in the USA

Renata DulatovaTAL1-06-01

• The US does not have national holidays in the sense of days on which all employees in the U.S. receive a day free from work

• It is at the discretion of each state or local jurisdiction to determine official holiday schedules

• Most retail businesses close on Thanksgiving and Christmas, but remain open on all other holidays

Federal holidays

• New Year's Day • Birthday of Martin Luther King• Memorial Day • Independence Day • Labor Day • Columbus Day • Veterans Day • Thanksgiving Day • Christmas

New Year's DayJanuary 1

• This day is traditionally a religious feast, but since the 1900s has become an occasion to celebrate the night of December 31, called New Year's Eve.

• The most popular New Year's resolutions in the Western world include to quit tobacco smoking, stop excessive drinking of alcohol, lose weight, get physically fit, and save money.

Birthday of Martin Luther King(Third Monday in January )

King was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.

Memorial Day (Last Monday in May )

• It commemorates U.S. people who died while in the military service.

• First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War.

Independence Day(July 4)

• the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

• It is associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games.

• Patriotic songs "God Bless America", "America the Beautiful", "Yankee Doodle" and "Dixie“.

Labor Day(1st Monday in September )

• The first Labor Day in the US – 1882, New York City.

• Celebrates the achievements of workers and the labor movement; marks the unofficial end of the summer season.

Columbus Day(2nd Monday in October )

• Honors Christopher Columbus, traditional discoverer of the Americas (1492).

• Columbus Day first became an official state holiday in Colorado in 1906, and became a federal holiday in 1934.

Veterans Day(November 11 ) • Honors all veterans

of the US armed forces.

• It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918 (major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice).

Thanksgiving Day(4th Thursday in November )

• The first Thanksgiving was celebrated to give thanks to God for helping the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony survive the brutal winter (1621).

• The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days providing enough food for 53 pilgrims and 90 Native Americans.

Christmas(December 25 )

• Celebrates the birth of Jesus.

• A family holiday.

Information sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_the_United_States http://www.usa.gov/citizens/holidays.shtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr._Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(US)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day