The US population

In the United States the population in 2003 was about 292 million people, of which about 211 million were white, 34 million were black, 10 million were Asian and 2.4 million were Native Americans.

The US Census Bureau predicts that the nation will have about 323 million people by 2020 and 394 million by 2050.

In 2001 immigration was just over a million people of whom the largest group was 206000 from Mexico.

In the US about 80% of the population live in cities. The largest are New York with about 8 million people, Los Angeles and Chicago.

The states with the largest populations are California with 35 million people, Texas with more than 21 million and New York with 19 million.

Some large states have very few people: Wyoming has the fewest, 498000, or about 5 people for every square mile.

Holidays & Vacations in the USA

Holiday in American English means a day

that is special for some reason.

Most people do not go to work on an

important holiday, but may do so on a minor

one. Few people have to work on federal

holidays such as New Year’s Day or

Independence Day, though they may celebrate

St Valentine’s Day or Groundhog Day but still

go to work or school.

Apart from the main federal holidays each state decides its own holidays. The period from Thanksgiving to the end of the year when there are several important holidays is called the holiday season or simply the holidays.

In British English, special days like New Year’s Day are called bank holidays or public holidays.

Americans have less paid vacation, typically two weeks. People with important jobs or who have worked in their company for many years may have longer vacations.

People with low-paid jobs in shops, fast

food restaurants, etc., often have no paid

vacation at all.

The typical family vacation in the US

involves driving to a destination within the

country.

Some people visit relatives or go

sightseeing in cities like Washington, DC, or

New York.

The national parks, like Yellowstone

National Park or the Grand Canyon, are also

popular, and people sometimes rent a cabin in

the country. Families often go to amusement

parks like Disney World in Florida.

People who do not drive usually fly to a

place as air fares are relatively cheap. Package

tours are not very common and most

Americans arrange their transport and

accommodation separately.

Many Americans have not been on

vacation outside North America. However,

Europe has always been a popular destination

for people wanting to travel further, and trips to

South America and the Far east are

increasingly common, especially with younger

travelers.

Cruises to the Caribbean or Alaska have

also become very popular.

Festivals in the US

Many branches of the arts hold festivals each

year in towns and cities throughout Britain and the

US. Some of the largest festivals last several

weeks and include music, drama, art and literature.

People travel a long way to hear the top

international performers that such festivals attract.

Smaller festivals concentrate on one art form,

such as poetry. Because the US is so large, most of

its festivals are local, although a few famous ones,

such as the Monterey Jazz festival in California,

attract people from around the world.

Americans most like summer festivals where they can enjoy art, music and food outdoors.

Many festivals try to obtain sponsorship money from local businesses to help cover the costs. In the US events are relatively cheap so the entire family can spend the day out.

In the US the Carmel Performing Arts Festival in California offers a range of music, dance, theatre, stories and poetry.

Classical music is less popular in the US, but several festivals offer a mixture of concerts and classes, e.g. the Aspen Music Festival.

There are huge numbers of festivals every year across the US for different types of music.

These include Rock Fests, for example the one held near Cadott, Wisconsin and the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival which celebrates the music (and Cajun food) of Black French and Creole peoples.

The Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis and the W C Handy Blues and Barbecue Festival in Henderson, Kentucky, celebrate the blues.

Film festivals are especially popular in US. The best-known is the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

The Hollywood Film Festival attracts big stars, but America’s mix of people from different races and cultures has led to many smaller events such as the Boston Jewish Film Festival and the Los Angeles Asian-Pacific Film Festival.

Fewer people generally attend literature festivals, but in the US the annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival has become a major event.

It includes performances of Williams’s

plays and a walking tour of ‘Williams’s New

Orleans’.

The Dodge Poetry Festival is held every

two years in New Jersey.

In the US the most common festivals are

arts, or arts and crafts, festivals.

For example, the Utah Arts festival mixes

art with music, theatre and cooking.

Festivals old and new

In Britain, Canada and the USA, in each of the four seasons, people enjoy different festivals and celebrations.

Thousands of years ago the people of Britain were pagans.

In their religions, the sun, the moon, the winds, rain, animals and trees were all important, and they had festivals for them When Christianity came to Britain, the people wanted to keep some of their old festivals, as Christian festivals.

Halloween, Christmas, Saint Valentine’s Day

an Easter are all examples of this. Today many

people celebrate these festivals, and also many

other festivals which did start in the church.

Food, family and flowers are an important

part of most celebrations. Most people have a big

family dinner at Christmas; Canadians and

Americans get together at Thanksgiving too.

A lot of people give chocolate and other

sweets as presents at Christmas, Valentine’s Day

and Mother’s Day, and flower shops sell a lot of

flowers on these days.

People today often live far away from their

families, so they send greetings cards at special

times like Christmas, Mother’s Day and Easter.

The cards say things like: “Thinking of you

across the miles”. Post offices and telephones

are very busy too.

Times change and festivals change too.

But people have celebrated many of these

festivals for hundreds of years – and will still

enjoy them in many years’ time.

Valentine’s Day

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly known

as Valentine's Day, or the Feast of Saint

Valentine, is observed on February 14 each

year.

Today Valentine's Day is celebrated in

many countries around the world.

St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical

celebration of one or more early Christian

saints named Valentinus.

The most popular martyrology associated

with Saint Valentine was that he was

imprisoned for performing weddings for

soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for

ministering to Christians, who were persecuted

under the Roman Empire; during his

imprisonment, he is said to have healed the

daughter of his jailer Asterius.

Legend states that before his execution he

wrote "from your Valentine" as a farewell to

her.

Valentine's Day symbols that are used

today include the heart-shaped outline, doves,

and the figure of the winged Cupid.

Since the 19th century, handwritten

valentines have given way to mass-produced

greeting cards.

The Legend of Saint Valentine

The story of Valentine's Day begins in the

third century with an oppressive Roman

emperor and a humble Christian martyr. The

emperor was Claudius II Gothicus. The

Christian was Valentinus.

Claudius had ordered all Romans to worship

state religion's idols, and he had made it a crime

punishable by death to associate with Christians.

But Valentinus was dedicated to the ideals of

Christ, and not even the threat of death could keep

him from practicing his beliefs.

During the last weeks of Valentinus's life a

remarkable thing happened.

One day a jailer for the Emperor of Rome

knocked at Valentinus's door clutching his blind

daughter in his arms.

He had learned of Valentinus's medical and

spiritual healing abilities, and appealed to

Valentinus to treat his daughter's blindness. She

had been blind since birth.

Valentinus knew that her condition would

be difficult to treat but he gave the man his

word he would do his best.

The little girl was examined, given an

ointment for her eyes and a series of re-visits

were scheduled.

Seeing that he was a man of learning, the

jailer asked whether his daughter, Julia, might

also be brought to Valentinus for lessons.

Julia was a pretty young girl with a quick

mind. Valentinus read stories of Rome's history

to her. He described the world of nature to her.

He taught her arithmetic and told her about

GOD. She saw the world through his eyes,

trusted in his wisdom, and found comfort in his

quiet strength.

"Valentinus, does GOD really hear our prayers?" Julia said one day. "Yes, my child, He hears each one, "he replied.

"Do you know what I pray for every morning and every night? I pray that I might see. I want so much to see everything you've told me about!"

"GOD does what is best for us if we will believe in HIM," Valentinus said.

"Oh, Valentinus, I do believe," Julia said intensely. "I do." She knelt and grasped his hand. They sat quietly together, each praying.

Several weeks passed and the girl's sight

was not restored. Yet the man and his daughter

never wavered in their faith and returned each

week.

Then one day, Valentinus received a visit

from Roman soldiers who arrested him,

destroyed his medicines and admonished him

for his religious beliefs.

When the little girl's father learned of his

arrest and imprisonment, he wanted to

intervene but there was nothing he could do.

On the eve of his death, Valentinus wrote a last note to Julia - knowing his execution was imminent.

Valentinus asked the jailer for a paper, pen and ink. He quickly jotted a farewell note and handed it to the jailer to give to his blind daughter.

He urged her to stay close to GOD, and he signed it "From Your Valentine."

His sentence was carried out the next day, February 14, 270 A.D., near a gate that was later named Porta Valentini in his memory.

When the jailer went home, he was greeted

by his little girl. The little girl opened the note

and discovered a yellow crocus inside.

The message said, "From your Valentine."

As the little girl looked down upon the crocus

that spilled into her palm she saw brilliant

colors for the first time in her life!

The girl's eyesight was restored! A miracle!

Happy Valentine's Day!