Public holidays in the United States

Strictly speaking, the United States does not have national holidays (i.e., days where all employees in the U.S. receive a day free from work and all business is halted). The U.S. Federal government can only recognize national holidays that pertain to its own employees; it is at the discretion of each state or local jurisdiction to determine official holiday schedules. There are eleven such "Federal holidays", ten annual and one quadrennial holiday. The annual Federal holidays are widely observed by state and local governments; however, they may alter the dates of observance or add or subtract holidays according to local custom. Pursuant to the Uniform Holidays Bill of 1968 (taking effect in 1971), official holidays are observed on a Monday, except for New Year's Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. There are also U.S. state holidays particular to individual U.S. states.

In the U.S., most retail businesses close on Thanksgiving and Christmas, but remain open on all other holidays. Private businesses often observe only the "big six" holidays (New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). Some also add the Friday after Thanksgiving, or one or more of the other federal holidays.

Most American holidays recognize events or people from U.S. history, although two are shared in common with many other countries: Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Thanksgiving in the United States is on the fourth Thursday in November.

The holiday season in the winter traditionally runs between Thanksgiving Day and New Year's Day, which encompasses Black Friday, the Winter solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Kwanzaa and New Year's Eve.

Summer traditionally (though unofficially) runs between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Federal holidays

Federal holidays are designated by Congress in Title V of the United States Code (5 U.S.C. § 6103). If a holiday falls on a Saturday it is celebrated the preceding Friday; if a holiday falls on a Sunday it is celebrated the following Monday. Most, but not all, states and most private businesses also observe a Sunday holiday on the following Monday. It is less common, however, for a state or private business to observe a Saturday holiday on the preceding Friday. Some states and private businesses may observe it then, a few may observe it on Monday, and some may not observe the holiday at all in those years. In particular, banks that close on Saturdays do not observe a holiday when it falls on Saturday.

Date	Official Name	Remarks
January 1	New Year's Day	Celebrates beginning of the Gregorian calendar year. Festivities include counting down to midnight (12:00 AM) on the preceding night, New Year's Eve. Traditional end of holiday season.
Third Monday in January	Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., or Martin Luther King, Jr. Day	Honors Martin Luther King, Jr., Civil Rights leader, who was actually born on January 15, 1929; combined with other holidays in several states.
January 20, the first January 20th following a Presidential election	Inauguration Day	Observed only by federal government employees in Washington D.C., and the border counties of Maryland and Virginia, in order to relieve congestion that occurs with this major event. Swearing-in of President of the United States and Vice President of the United States. Celebrated every fourth year. Note: Takes place on January 21 if the 20th is a Sunday (although the President is still privately inaugurated on the 20th). If Inauguration Day falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, the preceding Friday or following Monday is not a Federal Holiday
Third Monday in February	Washington's Birthday	Washington's Birthday was first declared a federal holiday by an 1879 act of Congress. The Uniform Holidays Act, 1968, shifted the date of the commemoration of Washington's Birthday from February 22 to the third Monday in February. Many people now refer to this holiday as "Presidents' Day" and consider it a day honoring all American presidents. However, neither the Uniform Holidays Act nor any subsequent law changed the name of the holiday from Washington's Birthday to Presidents' Day.
Last Monday in May	Memorial Day	Honors the nation's war dead from the Civil War onwards; marks the unofficial beginning of the summer season. (traditionally May 30, shifted by the Uniform Holidays Act 1968)
July 4	Independence Day	Celebrates Declaration of Independence, also called the Fourth of July.
First Monday in September	Labor Day	Celebrates the achievements of workers and the labor movement; marks the unofficial end of the summer season.
Second Monday in October	Columbus Day	Honors Christopher Columbus, traditional discoverer of the Americas. In some areas it is also a celebration of Italian culture and heritage. (traditionally October 12); celebrated as American Indian Heritage Day and Fraternal Day in Alabama; celebrated as Native American Day in South Dakota. In Hawaii, it is celebrated as Discoverer's Day, though is not an official state holiday.
November 11	Veterans Day	Honors all veterans of the United States armed forces. A traditional observation is a moment of silence at 11:00 a.m. remembering those killed in war. (Commemorates the 1918 armistice, which began at "the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.")
Fourth Thursday in November	Thanksgiving Day	Traditionally celebrates the giving of thanks for the autumn harvest. Traditionally includes the consumption of a turkey dinner Traditional start of the holiday season. (Note: Thanksgiving is not celebrated on the same day in Canada).
December 25	Christmas Day	Celebrates the Nativity of Jesus. Some people consider aspects of this religious holiday, such as giving gifts and decorating a Christmas tree, to be secular rather than explicitly Christian.

• Federal Holidays Calendars from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Federal observances

Federal observances differ from Federal holidays in that Federal employees only receive a day free from work on holidays, not observances. Federal observances that are designated by Congress appear in Title 36 of the United States Code (36 U.S.C. § 101 et seq.). Below is a list of all observances so designated. Note that not all of the laws below require that the observance be declared, in some cases, such as 36 U.S.C. § 114, Congress simply requested the President to issue a proclamation of the observance.

The President may also declare selected Federal observances by presidential proclamation. Those observances are referenced at the List of observances in the United States by presidential proclamation.

Days

• 36 U.S.C. § 104 — Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day (First Saturday after Labor Day)
• 36 U.S.C. § 105 — Child Health Day (The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation designating the first Monday in October as Child Health Day)
• 36 U.S.C. § 106 — Constitution Day and Citizenship Day (September 17)
• 36 U.S.C. § 107 — Columbus Day (The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation designating the second Monday in October as Columbus Day.)
• 36 U.S.C. § 109 — Father's Day (Third Sunday in June)
• 36 U.S.C. § 110 — Flag Day (June 14)
• 36 U.S.C. § 111 — Gold Star Mother's Day (Last Sunday in September)
• 36 U.S.C. § 113 — Law Day, U.S.A. (May 1)
• 36 U.S.C. § 114 — Leif Erikson Day (The President may issue each year a proclamation designating October 9 as Leif Erikson Day.)
• 36 U.S.C. § 115 — Loyalty Day (May 1)
• 36 U.S.C. § 116 — Memorial Day
• 36 U.S.C. § 117 — Mother's Day (Second Sunday in May)
• 36 U.S.C. § 118 — National Aviation Day (August 19)
• 36 U.S.C. § 119 — National Day of Prayer (First Thursday in May)
• 36 U.S.C. § 120 — National Defense Transportation Day (The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation designating the third Friday in May as National Defense Transportation Day.)
• 36 U.S.C. § 124 — National Freedom Day (February 1)
• 36 U.S.C. § 125 — National Grandparents' Day (The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation designating the first Sunday in September after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day.)
• 36 U.S.C. § 127 — National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day (July 27 of each year until 2003)
• 36 U.S.C. § 128 — National Maritime Day (May 22)
• 36 U.S.C. § 129 — National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (December 7)
• 36 U.S.C. § 134 — Pan American Aviation Day (The President may issue each year a proclamation designating December 17 as Pan American Aviation Day.)
• 36 U.S.C. § 135 — Parents' Day (Fourth Sunday in July)
• 36 U.S.C. § 136 — Peace Officers Memorial Day (The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation designating May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day in honor of Federal, State, and local officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.)
• 36 U.S.C. § 140 — Stephen Foster Memorial Day (The President may issue each year a proclamation designating January 13 Stephen Foster Memorial Day.)
• 36 U.S.C. § 141 — Thomas Jefferson's birthday (April 13)
• 36 U.S.C. § 142 — White Cane Safety Day (The President may issue each year a proclamation designating October 15 as White Cane Safety Day.)
• 36 U.S.C. § 143 — Wright Brothers Day (December 17)
• 36 U.S.C. § 144 — Patriot Day (September 11)
• 36 U.S.C. § 145 — Halloween (October 31)

Weeks

• Constitution Week
• National Flag Week
• National Forest Products Week
• National Poison Prevention Week
• National Safe Boating Week
• National School Lunch Week
• National Transportation Week
• Police Week
• Save Your Vision Week
• National Friendship Week

Months

• 36 U.S.C. § 101 — American Heart Month (February)
• Black History Month (February)
• National Nutrition Month (March)
• Confederate History Month (April)
• 36 U.S.C. § 103 — Cancer Control Month (April)
• Child Abuse Prevention Month (April)
• 36 U.S.C. § 102 — Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May)
• 36 U.S.C. § 139 — Steelmark Month (May) — honors the steel industry
• Gay and Lesbian Pride Month (June)
• 36 U.S.C. § 126 — National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 through October 15)
• Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October)
• 36 U.S.C. § 121 — National Disability Employment Awareness Month (October)

Other

• 36 U.S.C. § 112 — Honor America Days -- The 21 days from Flag Day through Independence Day.

Other holidays observed nationwide

In addition to the official holidays, many religious, ethnic, and other traditional holidays populate the calendar, as well as observances proclaimed by officials and 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.

Date	Name	Remarks
February	Black History Month	Celebrating the contributions and culture of African-Americans (Black Americans) (U.S. Citizens descended from Africa) throughout U.S. History.
February or March, date varies	Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday	A festive season (Carnival) leading up to Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Closes with Ash Wednesday (40 days before Easter, not counting Sundays), which starts the season of Lent in the Christian calendar.
February 2	Groundhog Day	Prediction from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania groundhog on whether the country will have six more weeks of winter.
First Sunday of February	Super Bowl Sunday	The Day that the championship game for the National Football League is held on. Super Bowl parties are common.
February 14	Valentine's Day	Traditional celebration of love and romance, including the exchange of cards, candy, flowers, and other gifts.
March 17	St. Patrick's Day	A celebration of Irish heritage and culture, based on the Catholic feast of St. Patrick. Primary activity is simply the wearing of green clothing ("wearing o' the green"), although drinking beer dyed green is also popular. Attending St. Patrick's Day parades has historically been more popular in the United States than in Ireland.
April 1	April Fools' Day	A day to play tricks on family, friends, and coworkers, if so inclined, this day used to be the start of the New Year, the tradition started when New Year's Day was moved from April 1st, to January 1.
late March or April (Date varies) (March 21 for 2008)	Good Friday	Commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ by Pontius Pilate, believed by Christians to have taken place (traditionally) on April 1, 33 AD. Sometimes celebrated as a "Spring holiday" for Universities and schools in certain states.
Spring Sunday, date varies, first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon after the vernal equinox	Easter	Celebrates the Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus. For Christians, Easter is a day of religious services and the gathering of family. Many Americans follow old traditions of coloring hard-boiled eggs and giving children baskets of candy. On the next day, Easter Monday, the President of the United States holds an annual Easter egg roll on the White House lawn for young children. The holiday is also often celebrated as a nonsectarian spring holiday. Not generally observed by most businesses as it always falls on a Sunday. Most financial markets and some other businesses close on the Friday prior, Good Friday (which is a state holiday in many states). Roman Catholic and Protestant groups celebrate Easter on a different Sunday (most years) than Orthodox groups.
April 22 (varies by location and observance)	Earth Day	A day used to promote environmentalism.
Spring, date varies	Arbor Day	A day for the planting of trees, commonly the last Friday of April but depending on the climate of the state.
May 5	Cinco de Mayo	Primarily a celebration of Mexican culture by Mexican-Americans living in the United States. Although this is the anniversary of the victory of the Mexican Army over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, Cinco de Mayo is far more important in the USA than in México itself. Additionally, this "holiday" is often mistaken by Americans as being Mexican Independence Day, which is actually observed on September 16.
Second Sunday in May	Mother's Day	Honors mothers and motherhood (made a "Federal Holiday" by Presidential order, although most Federal agencies are already closed on Sundays)
Third Sunday in June	Father's Day	Honors fathers and fatherhood.
September or October (depends on Hebrew calendar)	Rosh Hashanah	Traditional beginning of the Jewish High Holidays. It is also celebrates the beginning of a new year on the Hebrew calendar.
September or October (depends on Hebrew calendar)	Yom Kippur	Traditional end of and highest of the Jewish High Holidays.
October 12	Columbus Day	Honors the first European explorer known to have set foot on North America.
October 30	Mischief Night	Night before Halloween, notorious as a night where children and teenagers cause mild mischief around their town, such as tepeeing houses or throwing eggs.
October 31	Halloween	Celebrates All Hallow's Eve, decorations include jack o'lanterns, costume wearing parties, and candy such as candy corn are also part of the holiday. Kids go trick-or-treating to neighbors who give away candy. Not generally observed by businesses.
first Tuesday after the first Monday in November	Election Day	Observed by the federal and state governments in applicable years; legal holiday in some states.
Friday after Thanksgiving Day	Black Friday	Kickoff to the Christmas shopping season, known to be the busiest shopping day of the year
December (depends on Hebrew calendar)	Hanukkah	an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE.
December 7	Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day	Day to mourn the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941
December 24	Christmas Eve	Day before Christmas Day
December 26 through January 1	Kwanzaa	African American holiday celebration created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Ron Karenga
December 31	New Year's Eve	Final Day of the Gregorian year. Usually accompanied by much celebration.

State holidays

In addition to the federal holidays, individual states observe the following holidays:

• Alabama: Confederate Memorial Day, fourth Monday in April
• Alaska: Alaska Day, anniversary of transfer to U.S. control, October 18; Seward's Day, anniversary of purchase from Russia, March 27
• Arkansas: Daisy Gatson Bates Day, February 16, observed with Washington's Birthday
• California: Abraham Lincoln's Birthday, February 12, César Chávez's birthday, March 31 (also may be optionally observed in Colorado and Texas)
• Colorado: Colorado Day August 1, 1876 Colorado became a state. This date is recognized/celebrated each year by state residents.
• Connecticut: Lincoln's Birthday, February 12; Good Friday, date varies
• Delaware: Return Day, Thursday following Election Day; every two years, celebrates the returns of an election, having political opponents "bury the hatchet" in a bucket of sand
• District of Columbia: Emancipation Day, April 16
• Florida: Pascua Florida Day, April 2
• Georgia: Robert E. Lee's Birthday and Confederate Memorial Day
• Hawaii: Good Friday, date varies; May Day or Lei Day, date varies, usually May 1st; Kamehameha Day, June 11; Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day, March 26; Admission Day or Statehood Day, third Friday in August
• Idaho: Idaho Human Rights Day, January 19
• Illinois: Abraham Lincoln's Birthday, February 12 (most state offices close, many schools choose to close on President's Day). Pulaski Day first Monday of every March.
• Kansas: Kansas Day, January 29
• Louisiana: Mardi Gras, date varies (3 February - 9 March); Good Friday, date varies, celebrated elsewhere
• Massachusetts: Patriot's Day, 3rd Monday of April, traditionally April 19, anniversary of Battles of Lexington and Concord
• Maine: Patriot's Day, April 19, anniversary of Battles of Lexington and Concord
• Maryland: Maryland Day, March 25, commemoration of first European settlement of Maryland
• Mississippi: Mardi Gras Day, date varies
• Missouri: Truman Day, May 9
• Nebraska: Arbor Day, last Friday of April, celebrated elsewhere
• Nevada: Nevada Day, October 31, commemorates date of admission to the Union, observed on last Friday of October.
• New Hampshire: Civil Rights Day, January 19
• Oklahoma: Statehood Day, November 16
• Rhode Island: V.J. Day or Victory Day, second Monday in August
• South Dakota: Native American Day, second Monday in October
• Tennessee
  • Legal holidays: Good Friday, date varies;
  • Days of special observance: Robert E. Lee Day, January 19; Abraham Lincoln Day, February 12; Andrew Jackson Day, March 15; Mother's Day, Second Sunday in May; Statehood Day, June 1, commemorates date of admission to the Union; Memorial or Confederate Decoration Day, June 3; Nathan Bedford Forrest Day, July 13
• Texas: Confederate Veterans Day, January 19; Juneteenth, June 19
• Utah: Pioneer Day, July 24
• Vermont: Town Meeting Day, first Tuesday in March
• Virginia: Lee-Jackson Day, Friday before the third Monday in January
• West Virginia: West Virginia Day, June 20

Insular area holidays

Main article: Holidays in Puerto Rico

• Puerto Rico: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico day, July 25 (In Spanish: 25 de Julio, Conmemoración del ELA, or Conmemoración del Estado Libre Asociado)

Southern holidays

May or may not be legal holidays, depending on state law.

• Confederate Memorial Day, usually last Monday of April
  • Alabama, fourth Monday in April, legal holiday
  • Florida, April 26, legal holiday[2]
  • Georgia, legal holiday
  • Mississippi, legal holiday
  • South Carolina, May 10, legal holiday (SC Code § 53-5-10)[3]
  • Louisiana, June 3
  • Tennessee, June 3
  • Virginia, coincidental with US Memorial Day
• Jefferson Davis's Birthday
  • Alabama, first Monday in June, legal holiday
  • Florida, June 3 legal holiday
• Robert E. Lee's Birthday (often observed with MLK Day on January 19)

See also: Lee-Jackson-King day

• • Alabama, observed with MLK Day, legal holiday
  • Arkansas, January 19, observed with MLK Day
  • Florida, January 19, legal holiday
  • Georgia, January 19, may be celebrated other days (Friday after Thanksgiving, for example)
  • Mississippi, January 19, legal holiday
  • Tennessee, January 19
• Nathan Bedford Forrest Day
  • Tennessee, July 13
• Mardi Gras, held the day before Ash Wednesday.
  • Florida, legal holiday in counties where carnival associations are organized for the purpose of celebrating the same.[4]
  • Louisiana, legal holiday
  • Mississippi, legal holiday
  • Alabama, legal holiday only in Baldwin and Mobile Counties

Other holidays locally observed

• Bunker Hill Day, June 17 (Suffolk County, Massachusetts)
• Brooklyn-Queens Day, (New York City, NY), first Thursday in June
• Casimir Pulaski Day (primarily Illinois, first Monday in March)
• Day of the Dead (November 1, sometimes celebrated in areas with large Mexican-American populations; see Dia de los Muertos)
• Devil's Night (primarily Michigan, October 30)
• Dyngus Day (Polish-origin holiday, day after Easter, celebrated New York, Indiana, Michigan and North Dakota)
• Evacuation Day, March 17 (Suffolk County and Cambridge, Massachusetts; same date as St. Patrick's Day)
• Father Damien Day (Hawaii), April 15
• Indigenous Peoples Day, Berkeley, California, celebrated in lieu of Columbus Day
• International Women's Day, Berkeley, California, March 8
• Loyalty Day (domestic counterweight to May Day)
• Meck-Dec Day, (Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina), (May 20), celebrates the signing of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.
• Midsummer (celebrated in Minnesota and other Scandinavian-American areas)
• Return Day, (November 4, after noon in Sussex County, Delaware; population meets to hear election returns, party)
• Sweetest Day (celebrated on third Saturday in October in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, involves giving small presents to family, friends and lovers)
• Von Steuben Day, (mid-September, celebrated primarily by German Americans)
• Woolseymas, (December 6) A commemoration of the 1933 decision by U.S. District Court Judge John M. Woolsey that the James Joyce novel "Ulysses" was not pornographic and therefore could not be obscene.

Non-holiday notable days

• Super Tuesday (political event, variable)
• Tax Freedom Day (day in which an average citizen is said to have worked enough to pay his or her taxes for the year, used by opponents of taxation)
• Tax Day (federal and state tax deadline, (April 15) or if on weekend or holiday, next closest Monday or business day)
• Oktoberfest (celebrated most often in areas with contemporary or historic populations of German heritage)
• Festivus (December 23rd): made famous on the TV show Seinfeld.

Notes

Many observances and special days are declared by the President. See list of observances in the United States by presidential proclamation.

There are many annual observances in the United States (some of which are listed above) that are not celebrated by the rest of the world.

See also

• Holidays in Puerto Rico
• Mexican fiestas in the United States
• Easter/Good Friday controversy
• Christmas controversy
• Hallmark Holiday

External links

• U.S. Department of Commerce Federal Holiday Calendar
• Text of Federal Holiday Legislation
• Public Holidays of United States
• 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.
• Infoplease: State Holidays
• United States Calendar With Tooltips
• Federal Holidays: Evolution and Application, CRS Report for Congress, 98-301 GOV, updated February 8, 1999, by Stephen W. Stathis
• Eternal calendar with special days of most english speaking countries