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Public holidays in the United States

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{{Short description|Holidays in the United States of America}}

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In the United States, public holidays are set by federal, state, and local governments and are often observed by closing government offices or giving government employees paid time off. The federal government does not require private businesses to close or offer paid time off, as is the case for most state and local governments, so employers determine which holidays to observe.

Several federal holidays are widely observed by private businesses with paid time off. These include New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Businesses often close or grant paid time off for New Year's Eve, Christmas Eve, and the Day after Thanksgiving, but none of these are federal holidays. Other federal holidays are less widely observed by businesses. Most federal holidays are celebrated on a Monday or Friday to create a three-day weekend.

Christmas is the only religious holiday that is a federal holiday. Some businesses allow religious employees to take paid time off for religious observances.

Other holidays, such as Halloween and Valentine's Day, are widely celebrated in the United States but rarely include paid time off.{{TOC limit|3}}

Overview

File:Jack-o'-Lantern 2003-10-31 Large.jpg, one of the symbols of Halloween]]

There are no national holidays on which the law requires all businesses to close. Federal holidays are only established for certain federally chartered and regulated businesses, government contractors, and the city of Washington, DC. All other public holidays are created by the States. Most states allow local jurisdictions, cities, villages, etc., to establish local holidays. As a result, holidays have not historically been governed at the federal level, and federal law does not govern business openings.

Many states have additional holidays that the federal government does not observe.{{cite web|url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0002069.html |title=State Holidays |publisher=Infoplease.com |access-date=March 3, 2014}} Most prominent among these are holidays to celebrate statehood. Since 2000, some city and state-level celebrations of Malcolm X Day and Rosa Parks Day have been created, in addition to the federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day, to honor and recognize African American contributions to the United States. Missouri honors Rosa Parks on her birthday.{{cite web |title=Rosa Parks to be honored by Missouri on Feb 4th |url=https://governor.mo.gov/news/archive/rosa-parks-be-honored-missouri-feb-4th |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106114844/https://governor.mo.gov/news/archive/rosa-parks-be-honored-missouri-feb-4th |archive-date=January 6, 2017}}{{cite web |date=May 20, 2015 |title=Illinois designates May 19 as Malcolm X Day |url=http://chicagomonitor.com/2015/05/illinois-designates-may-19-as-malcolm-x-day/}}

Colorado became the first state to establish a paid state holiday honoring a woman in 2020 with the designation of the first Monday in October as Frances Xavier Cabrini Day.{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Debbie |date=2022-10-03 |title=Colorado's Mother Cabrini Day, Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day cause confusion |url=https://gazette.com/news/local/colorados-mother-cabrini-day-columbus-day-and-indigenous-peoples-day-cause-confusion/article_69078bde-436b-11ed-879d-4721ed6174c2.html |access-date=2024-06-18 |website=Colorado Springs Gazette |language=en}}

File:Stpatrick parade atlanta.jpg

Many businesses observe certain holidays, which are also not mandated by any government agency. Many workplaces celebrate religious observance as well as ethnic holidays, such as Saint Patrick's Day, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Mardi Gras, and Cinco de Mayo, as a matter of best practice.{{cite web|url=http://www.diversitybestpractices.com/2014-diversity-holidays|title=2014 Diversity Holidays|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021212121/http://www.diversitybestpractices.com/2014-diversity-holidays|archive-date=October 21, 2014}}

While the popularity of each public holiday cannot easily be measured, the holiday with the highest greeting card sales is Christmas.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/us-news-blog/2012/dec/22/christmas-cards-holidays-us|title=Christmas may be on the cards, but is it the most popular American holiday?|newspaper=The Guardian|date=December 22, 2012|last1=Enten|first1=Harry J.}} Major retail establishments, such as shopping malls and centers, close only on Thanksgiving and Christmas, but remain open on all other holidays, with early closings on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, and sometimes on other major holidays. In the face of a rapidly tightening retail market in the 2010s, retailers have increasingly been opening on Thanksgiving evening and night to extend Black Friday and the holiday shopping season, however, the COVID-19 pandemic greatly limited this practice.{{cite web|url=http://www.mallofamerica.com/shopping/hours |title=Hours |publisher=Mall of America |access-date=March 3, 2014}}{{Cite web |title=Black Friday shopping like we all know it is officially over because of COVID-19 |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/black-friday-shopping-like-we-all-know-it-is-officially-over-because-of-covid-19-173121320.html |access-date=2022-09-22 |website=finance.yahoo.com |date=September 10, 2020 |language=en-US}}

Virtually all large companies observe and close on the major holidays (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). Some non-retail businesses close the day after Thanksgiving, while others, such as federal banks and post offices, are not allowed to close that day. Some smaller businesses normally open on Sundays will close on Easter Sunday if they expect to have very few customers that day.{{cite web|url=http://www.toolkit.com/small_business_guide/sbg.aspx?nid=P05_4375 |title=Optional Time-Off Benefits You Can Give Your Employees | BizFilings Toolkit |publisher=Toolkit.com |date=May 25, 2012 |access-date=March 3, 2014}}

= Holiday business restrictions =

Some states restrict certain business activities on some holidays.Massachusetts, for example, forbids most retailers from opening on Thanksgiving and Christmas: Attorney General's Office, "Sunday and Holiday Openings" {{cite web |title=Office of Attorney General Maura Healey |url=http://www.mass.gov/ago/doing-business-in-massachusetts/labor-laws-and-public-construction/wage-and-hour/sunday-and-holiday-openings.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830161041/http://www.mass.gov/ago/doing-business-in-massachusetts/labor-laws-and-public-construction/wage-and-hour/sunday-and-holiday-openings.html |archive-date=August 30, 2016 |access-date=October 13, 2014}} Business closures are mandated on a few holidays in some states for certain kinds of businesses by blue laws. For example, businesses that operate on more than {{Convert|5,000|sqft|m2|abbr=out}} cannot open on Thanksgiving in some New England states. The most notable businesses to close on such occasions are car dealerships and liquor stores. Some holidays are observed with community service, depending on the meaning of the holiday. Service is not mandated by any government agencies, whether they be federal, state, or local.

Federal holidays

{{Main|Federal holidays in the United States}}

File:Macys-parade-1979.jpg

The following federal holidays are observed by the majority of private businesses with paid time off:

Other federal holidays are less widely observed by businesses. These include:

Established in 2021, Juneteenth is the newest federal holiday. In its second year of federal observance, 30% of private employers offered paid time off.{{Cite web |last=Ali |first=Shirin |date=2022-06-17 |title=Growing number of businesses are giving employees Juneteenth off |url=https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/diversity-inclusion/3527688-growing-number-of-businesses-are-giving-employees-day-off-for-juneteenth/ |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=The Hill |language=en-US}}

Holidays with religious significance

{{Main|Religion in the United States|Separation of church and state in the United States}}

Religious and cultural holidays in the United States are characterized by a diversity of religious beliefs and practices. However, the First Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...." and Article VI specifies that "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." As a result, various religious faiths have flourished, as well as perished, in the United States. In 2002, a majority of Americans reported that religion plays a "very important" role in their lives, a proportion unique among developed nations.{{cite web |title = Among Wealthy Nations U.S. Stands Alone in its Embrace of Religion | work= Pew Global Attitudes Project |url= http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=167 |access-date= January 1, 2007| date= December 19, 2002 }}

In 2012, the majority of Americans (73–80%) identified themselves as Christians and about 15–20% had no religious affiliation.{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/Unaffiliated/nones-on-the-rise.aspx |title="Nones" on the Rise |publisher=The Pew Forum |date=October 9, 2012 |access-date=December 29, 2012}} In the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), 76% of American adults population identified themselves as Christians, with 51% professing attendance at a variety of churches that could be considered Protestant or unaffiliated, and 25% professing Catholic beliefs.{{cite web |author=US Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/population/religion.html |title=Table 75. Self-Described Religious Identification of Adult Population: 1990, 2001 and 2008, The methodology of the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) |publisher=US Census Bureau 2012 Statistical Abstract |date=September 30, 2011 |access-date=February 11, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225193720/http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/population/religion.html |archive-date=December 25, 2007 }} The same survey said that other religions (including, for example, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism) collectively made up about 4% of the adult population, another 15% of the adult population claimed no religious affiliation, and 5.2% said they did not know, or they refused to reply. In a 2012 survey by the Pew forum, 36 percent of Americans stated that they attended services nearly every week or more.{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/Asian-Americans-A-Mosaic-of-Faiths-overview.aspx |title=The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life – Asian Americans: A Mosaic of Faiths |publisher=Pewforum.org |date=July 19, 2012 |access-date=December 29, 2012}}

= Christian holidays =

{{Main|Liturgical year}}

With 65% of adults in the U.S. identifying as Christian in 2019, many holidays from the liturgical calendar are observed by this segment of the population.{{cite web|url=https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/|title=In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace|access-date=March 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304174939/https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/|archive-date=March 4, 2021|url-status=dead}} Many businesses, as well as federal, state, and local governments, are closed on Christmas.{{cite web|url=http://money.msn.com/saving-money-tips/post--heres-what-will-be-open-christmas-day|title=What will be open Christmas Day|access-date=February 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222234932/http://money.msn.com/saving-money-tips/post--heres-what-will-be-open-christmas-day|archive-date=February 22, 2014|url-status=dead}} A reference in the film A Christmas Story shows a Chinese restaurant being the only establishment open on Christmas.

Some private businesses and certain other institutions are closed on Good Friday ({{#time:F j Y|{{Calendar date|holiday=Good Friday|df=d|year={{LASTYEAR}}}}}}, {{#time:F j Y|{{Calendar date|holiday=Good Friday|df=d|year={{CURRENTYEAR}}}}}}, {{#time:F j Y|{{Calendar date|holiday=Good Friday|df=d|year={{NEXTYEAR}}}}}}, {{#time:F j Y|{{Calendar date|holiday=Good Friday|df=d|year={{NEXTYEAR|2}}}}}}).{{cite web|url=http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/good-friday|title=Good Friday in United States|publisher=timeanddate.com|access-date=September 3, 2015}} The financial market and stock market is closed on Good Friday.{{cite web|url=http://www.money-zine.com/Investing/Stocks/Stock-Market-Holidays/|title=Stock Market Holidays|publisher=money-zine.com|access-date=September 3, 2015}} Most retail stores remain open, although some might close early. Public schools and most universities are closed on Good Friday, either as a holiday of its own, or part of spring break. The postal service operates, and banks regulated by the federal government do not close for Good Friday.{{cite web |title=Federal Holidays |url=http://www.opm.gov/operating_status_schedules/fedhol/2012.asp |access-date=March 3, 2014 |publisher=Opm.gov}}

Many companies, including banks, malls, shopping centers, and most private retail stores that normally open on Sundays are closed on Easter ({{#time:F j Y|{{Calendar date|holiday=Easter|df=d|year={{LASTYEAR}}}}}}, {{#time:F j Y|{{Calendar date|holiday=Easter|df=d|year={{CURRENTYEAR}}}}}}, {{#time:F j Y|{{Calendar date|holiday=Easter|df=d|year={{NEXTYEAR}}}}}}, {{#time:F j Y|{{Calendar date|holiday=Easter|df=d|year={{NEXTYEAR|2}}}}}}).

= Hindu holidays =

File: The Rangoli of Lights.jpg.]]

{{Main|List of Hindu festivals}}

The Hindu holidays of Diwali and Holi are celebrated in some parts of the United States, mostly by Indian Americans or peoples of Indian descent.{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/25/diwali-hindu-festival-of-lights-america_n_1031492.html|title=Diwali Goes Mainstream|newspaper=Huffington Post|date=October 25, 2011}}{{Cite web |last=Sinha |first=Sanskrity |date=2013-11-04 |title=Diwali 2013: Hindu Festival of Lights Celebrated Around the World [PHOTOS] |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/diwali2013-india-usa-uk-festival-lights-dhanteras-519272 |website=International Business Times UK |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230411093507/https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/diwali2013-india-usa-uk-festival-lights-dhanteras-519272 |archive-date= Apr 11, 2023 }} Holi, the "festival of colors" has inspired a Broadway musical based on this festival.{{cite web|url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwfitness/article/Color-Me-Rad-5K-Celebrates-2-Million-Fans-with-New-Color-Blaster-20140213#.Uv-5-GaPL6U|title=Color Me Rad 5K Celebrates 2 Million Fans with New Color Blaster |website=BWWFitnessWorld |date=Feb 13, 2014 |access-date=February 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302070024/http://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwfitness/article/Color-Me-Rad-5K-Celebrates-2-Million-Fans-with-New-Color-Blaster-20140213#.Uv-5-GaPL6U|archive-date=March 2, 2014|url-status=dead}} While not officially recognized in most of the United States, the New York City Council officially recognized these as official school holidays in New York City.{{cite web|url=http://baltic-review.com/2013/08/usa-hindus-laud-new-york-city-council-resolution-diwali-holiday-city-schools/|title=USA: Hindus laud New York City Council for resolution on Diwali holiday in City schools |website=Baltic Review |date=August 30, 2013 |url-status=dead|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20140218170957/http://baltic-review.com/2013/08/usa-hindus-laud-new-york-city-council-resolution-diwali-holiday-city-schools/|archive-date=February 18, 2014}} CNN reported that the Diwali holiday is shown in American pop culture through an episode of The Office.{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/shows/the-office/diwali-897498/|title=The Office: Diwali - Season 3, Episode 6 |website=TV.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20111221221327/http://www.tv.com/shows/the-office/diwali-897498/ |archive-date= Dec 21, 2011 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/25/travel/diwali-2014/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews|title=6 things you should know about Diwali|website=CNN |date=November 11, 2015 }}

= Jewish holidays =

{{Main|Hebrew calendar}}

File:Hanukia.jpg]]

The three most commonly celebrated Jewish holidays are Passover ({{Calendar date |holiday=Passover |df=mdy |year={{CURRENTYEAR}}}}), Rosh Hashanah ({{Calendar date |holiday=Rosh Hashanah |df=mdy |year={{CURRENTYEAR}}}}), and Yom Kippur ({{Calendar date |holiday=Yom Kippur |df=mdy |year={{CURRENTYEAR}}}}).{{cite web|url=http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday0.htm|title=Jewish Holidays}}{{failed verification|date=December 2024}} Passover, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, and Hanukkah ({{Calendar date |holiday=Hanukkah |df=mdy |year={{CURRENTYEAR}}}}) are recognized as an optional state level holiday in Texas.{{cite web|url=http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/rosh-hashana|title=Rosh Hashanah}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tabletmag.com/holidays?gclid=CMzK-M6lrLwCFS7xOgodmmIAmg%7ctitle=jewish-holidays|title=Holidays – Tablet Magazine – Jewish News and Politics, Jewish Arts and Culture, Jewish Life and Religion|publisher=tabletmag.com|access-date=September 3, 2015}} All Jewish holidays start the night before, as that is when the Jewish day begins.

= Islamic holidays =

{{Main|Islamic holidays}}

The major Islamic holidays of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha have been recognized in the United States. Awareness of these holidays can be found in calendars published by major calendar manufacturers.{{cite web|url=http://www.infoplease.com/spot/islamicholidays.html|title=Major Islamic Holidays }}{{cite web|url=http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/eid-al-fitr|title=Eid al-Fitr}}{{cite web|url=http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/eid-al-adha|title=Eid al-Adha}} According to Al-Jazeera, schools in New York and Michigan (mainly Dearborn) may begin to close in observance of all Muslim holidays.{{cite web|url=http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/10/17/new-york-schoolscouldgetmuslimholidays.html|title=New York Schools Could Get Muslim Holidays}}{{when|date=June 2024}}

Holidays with other cultural or historical significance

= Drinking holidays =

{{See also|Drinking culture}}

File: Oktoberfest Cincinnati.jpg at the Oktoberfest in Cincinnati]]

According to the National Institutes of Health, about 86% of the population over 18 drinks alcohol recreationally or socially.{{cite web|url=http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/alcohol-facts-and-statistics|title=Alcohol facts and statistics}} In the United States, the holidays that are considered the most "festive" are generally regarded as some of the "most drunken holidays". Celebrations usually revolve around barbecues and beer. Although many of these holidays lack any official status, they are generally observed by the drinking culture for the fact that these holidays revolve around drinking.{{cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1986906_1986905_1986891,00.html|title=Top 10 Drunkest Holidays|magazine=Time|date=March 17, 2011}}

One measurement of the popularity of these holidays is the amount of alcohol purchased for the occasion. One survey names New Year's Eve as the holiday on which the most alcohol is consumed based on sales. While many holidays are listed, some are generally notable for their drinking requirement while others are known for abstinence.{{cite web|url=http://m.chron.com/entertainment/restaurants-bars/article/Ranking-America-s-drinking-holidays-6241454.php|title=Ranking America's drinking holidays|date=May 4, 2015}}

= African American holidays =

{{Main|African-American culture}}

File:Kwanza-RonKarenga.jpg, and others]]

Some holidays in the United States celebrate or recognize the struggle of African-Americans for emancipation from slavery and civil rights. Two holidays are celebrated as Federal holidays:

  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day, observed on the Monday falling on or between January 15–21, commemorates the birthday of Dr. King, a significant leader of the Civil Rights Movement. The holiday was established federally in 1983 and first officially celebrated in 1986; efforts to create the holiday faced strong opposition and some southern states paired the new holiday with a holiday honoring the Confederacy
  • Juneteenth, observed on June 19, commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas in June 1865, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans. The name is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth{{cite news |date=June 22, 2011 |title=Juneteenth Celebrated in Coachella |work=Black Voice News |url=http://www.blackvoicenews.com/news/46366-juneteenth-celebrated-in-coachella.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122071819/http://www.blackvoicenews.com/news/46366-juneteenth-celebrated-in-coachella.html |archive-date=January 22, 2012}}{{cite encyclopedia |title=Juneteenth |url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/juneteenth |access-date=May 30, 2013 |encyclopedia=Merriam Webster Dictionary}} and has been a federal holiday since 2021.

Some states and cities have additional holidays honoring African-Americans:

  • Emancipation Day, observed in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands on various days based on when enslaved people were emancipated in those jurisdictions
  • Harriet Tubman Day, observed in New York and in some parts of Maryland on March 10
  • Malcolm X Day, observed in Illinois and Berkeley, California, on May 19; also celebrated in cities such as Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. as an unofficial holiday
  • Rosa Parks Day, observed in Missouri on February 4, in California and Michigan on the following Monday, and in Ohio on December 1

A significant African-American cultural celebration is Kwanzaa, observed from December 26 to January 1.{{cite web|url=http://racerelations.about.com/od/historyofracerelations/a/Celebratekwanzaa.htm|title=Celebrating the Kwanzaa Holiday and Understanding its Impact on Race Relations}} Created by Maulana Karenga in 1966, the holiday honors African heritage in African-American culture.{{cite web |title=Why Kwanzaa Video |url=http://www.africanholocaust.net/news_ah/kwanzaa.html |work=Maulana Karenga}}

= Confederate holidays =

Some states celebrate holidays honoring the Confederate States of America that seceded from the United States. Many of these state holidays were created in the early twentieth century, fifty years after the end of the Civil War, as part of the myth of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy.{{Cite web |last=McCullar |first=Emily |date=2020-07-03 |title=Why Texas Still Celebrates Confederate Heroes Day |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-confederate-heroes-day-abolish/ |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=Texas Monthly |language=en}}

  • Confederate Memorial (or Heroes) Day is observed in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana{{citation needed|date=September 2017|reason=SPLC states, not state observed in Florida, Kentucky, nor Louisiana}} and Texas on various days.
  • Robert E. Lee Day (on or around Lee's Jan 19 birthday) is still observed in Alabama and Mississippi combined with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the only remaining states to do so.{{cite news |last=Little |first=Becky |date=January 13, 2017 |title=The Controversial History of Martin Luther King Day |work=National Geographic |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/martin-luther-king-jr-day-robert-e-lee-birthday-holiday |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516225851/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/martin-luther-king-jr-day-robert-e-lee-birthday-holiday |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 16, 2021 |access-date=January 17, 2022}} It is officially recognized in Florida, but is not widely observed there.{{cite news |last=Mettler |first=Katie |date=January 19, 2016 |title=Today in Florida, it's Robert E. Lee Day |work=Tampa Bay Times |url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/today-in-florida-its-robert-e-lee-day/2261887/ |access-date=August 22, 2018}} Arkansas combined the observance of Robert E. Lee Day with Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1985.{{Cite web |date=March 22, 2017 |title=Arkansas Ends Robert E. Lee-Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/arkansas-ends-robert-e-lee-martin-luther-king-jr-holiday-n736976 |access-date=April 19, 2017 |website=NBC News}} In 2017, the state passed a law removing Lee's name from the January holiday and instead establishing a state memorial day on the second Saturday of October in honor of Lee.{{Cite news |date=March 17, 2017 |title=Arkansas lawmakers vote to remove Robert E. Lee from holiday honoring MLK |work=Politico |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/arkansas-robert-e-lee-martin-luther-king-holiday-236190 |access-date=April 19, 2017}}
  • Confederate History Month has been declared at least once in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia as well as by various cities, usually in April to augment Confederate Memorial Day.

= Other traditional and informal holidays =

File: Cinco de Mayo performers at White House.jpg]]

In addition to the federal/national holidays, many religious, ethnic, and other traditional holidays populate the calendar, as well as lighter celebrations. These are rarely observed by businesses as holidays; indeed, many are viewed as opportunities for commercial promotion. Because of this commercialization, some critics apply the deprecatory term Hallmark holiday to such days, after the Hallmark greeting card company.

Other notable holidays

File:Super Bowl Sunday Military.jpg Super Bowl party]]

See also

{{Portal|Holidays}}

{{-}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20071011123523/http://www.buyusa.gov/uk/en/us_bank_holidays.html U.S. Department of Commerce Federal Holiday Calendar]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20051102013205/http://uscode.house.gov/uscode-cgi/fastweb.exe?getdoc+uscview+t05t08+683+14++%28christmas%29%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20 Text of Federal Holiday Legislation]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20010124092200/http://library.thinkquest.org/2886/ Bizarre American Holidays] – a comprehensive compilation of special recognition given both to months and individual days. Unfortunately, the origins of the commemorations aren't provided.
  • [http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0002069.html Infoplease: State Holidays]
  • [https://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/Federal_Holidays.pdf Federal Holidays: Evolution and Application], CRS Report for Congress, 98-301 GOV, updated February 8, 1999, by Stephen W. Stathis

{{Public holidays in the United States}}

{{United States topics}}

{{North America topic|Public holidays in}}

United States

Holidays

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