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.