Holidays in America
Holidays in America
The major federal, religious, traditional, and informal holidays celebrated in the United States
Choose a Holiday:
* These holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the date given.
January
New Year's Day (Sun., Jan. 1, 2017)
A federal holiday (observed Mon. Jan 2., 2017) in the United             States, New Year's Day has its origin in Roman times, when             sacrifices were offered to Janus, the two-faced Roman deity who             looked back on the past and forward to the future.
Saying Happy New Year Around                 the World
Epiphany (Fri., Jan. 6,             2017)
Epiphany (from Greek epiphaneia, "manifestation"),             falls on the 12th day after Christmas. It commemorates the             manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, as represented by             the Magi, the baptism of Jesus, and the miracle of the wine at the             marriage feast at Cana. One of the three major Christian             festivals, along with Christmas and Easter. Epiphany originally             marked the beginning of the carnival season preceding Lent, and             the evening preceding it is known as Twelfth Night .
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s             Birthday (Mon., Jan. 16, 2017)
A federal holiday             observed on the third Monday in January that honors the late civil             rights leader. It became a federal holiday in 1986.
Chinese New                   Year (Mon., Jan. 28, 2017)
The most important                   celebration in the Chinese calendar. Chinese months are reckoned by the                   lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New                   Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month                   and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. In                   China, the New Year is a time for family reunions. In the United                   States, however, many early Chinese immigrants arrived without                   their families, and found a sense of community by celebrating the                   holiday through neighborhood associations.
*All Jewish and Islamic holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the date given.
February
Groundhog Day (Thurs., Feb. 2, 2017)
Legend has it that if the groundhog             sees his shadow, he'll return to his hole, and winter will last             another six weeks.
Lincoln's Birthday (Sun., Feb. 12, 2017; observed Mon., Feb. 13, 2017)
A holiday in a few states, this                   day was first formally observed in Washington, DC, in 1866, when                   both houses of Congress gathered for a memorial address in tribute                   to the assassinated president. In some places, it is combined with                   Washington's Birthday and celebrated as President's Day.
St. Valentine's Day (Tues., Feb. 14, 2017)
Originally a pagan festival, the                   holiday eventually was recast as a Christian feast day in honor of                   St. Valentine—but there are at least three different early saints                   by that name. How the day became associated with romance remains                   obscure, and is further clouded by various fanciful legends.
Washington's Birthday                   or Presidents' Day (Mon., Feb. 20, 2017)
A federal                   holiday observed the third Monday in February. The actual date of                   Washington's birthday is Feb. 22. It is a common misconception                   that the federal holiday was changed to "Presidents' Day" and now                   celebrates both Washington and Lincoln. Only Washington is                   commemorated by the federal holiday; 13 states, however,                   officially celebrate "Presidents' Day."
Mardi Gras (Shrove               Tuesday) (Tues., Feb. 28, 2017)
Shrove Tuesday falls the day               before Ash Wednesday and               marks the end of the carnival season, which once began on Epiphany               but is now usually celebrated the last three days before Lent. In               France, the day is known as Mardi                   Gras (Fat Tuesday), and celebrations are held in several               American cities, particularly New Orleans. The day is sometimes               called Pancake Tuesday by the English because fats, which were               prohibited during Lent ,               had to be used up.
March
Ash Wednesday (Weds., March 1, 2017)
The seventh Wednesday before Easter and the first                   day of Lent , which lasts                   40 days. Having its origin sometime before A.D. 1000, it is a day                   of public penance and is marked in the Roman Catholic Church by                   the burning of the palms blessed on the previous year's Palm                   Sunday. With the ashes from the palms the priest then marks a                   cross with his thumb upon the forehead of each worshipper. The                   Anglican Church and a few Protestant groups in the United States                   also observe the day, but generally without the use of ashes.
Purim (Feast of Lots)                    (Sun., March 12, 2017)*
A day of joy and                   feasting celebrating the deliverance of the Jews from a massacre                   planned by the Persian minister Haman. According to the Book of                   Esther, the Jewish queen Esther interceded with her husband, King                   Ahasuerus, to spare the life of her uncle, Mordecai, and Haman was                   hanged on the same gallows he had built for Mordecai. The holiday                   is marked by the reading of the Book of Esther (the Megillah), by                   the exchange of gifts, and by donations to the poor.
April Fool's Day (Sat., April 1, 2017)
The origins of April Fool's Day are                   uncertain. Some see it as a celebration related to the turn of the                   seasons, while others believe it stems from the adoption of a new                   calendar.
Palm Sunday (April 9,             2017)
Observed the Sunday before Easter to commemorate the             entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.
Passover (Pesach)                   (Tues., April 11, 2017)*
The Feast of the                   Passover, also called the Feast of Unleavened Bread, commemorates                   the escape of the Jews from Egypt. As the Jews fled, they ate                   unleavened bread, and from that time the Jews have allowed no                   leavening in their houses during Passover, bread being replaced by                   matzoh.
Good Friday (April 14, 2017)
The Friday before Easter, it commemorates the                   Crucifixion, which is retold during services from the Gospel                   according to St. John. A feature in Roman Catholic churches is the                   Liturgy of the Passion; there is no Consecration, the Host having                   been consecrated the previous day. The eating of hot-cross buns on                   this day is said to have started in England.
Easter (Sun., April 16, 2017)
Observed in                   all Western Christian churches, Easter commemorates the                   Resurrection of Jesus. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after                   the full moon that occurs on or next after the vernal equinox                   (fixed at March 21) and is therefore celebrated between March 22                   and April 25 inclusive. This date was fixed by the Council of                   Nicaea in A.D. 325.
May Day (Mon., May 1,             2017)
Although celebrated with far greater fanfare in             other countries, May Day in the United States is a celebration of             Spring as well as a day honoring organized labor.
Cinco de Mayo (Fri.,             May 5, 2017)
Cinco de Mayo is often referred to as             Mexico's Independence Day, but actually marks the 1862 battle in             Puebla when a small, outnumbered Mexican army defeated the French,             a turning point in Mexico's struggle for independence. Ironically,             it is a holiday that is in fact more beloved by Americans than by             Mexicans.
VE-Day (Mon., May 8, 2017)
VE-DAY marks formal celebration of the                   Allies' victory in Europe during World War II.
Mother's Day (Sun.,                   May 14, 2017)
Observed the second Sunday in May, as                   proposed by Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia in 1907. West Virginia was                   the first state to recognize the holiday in 1910, and President                   Woodrow Wilson officially proclaimed Mother's Day a national                   holiday in 1914.
Ascension Day (Thurs., May 25,                   2017)
The Ascension of Jesus took place in the presence of                   his apostles 40 days after the Resurrection. It is traditionally                   thought to have occurred on Mount Olivet in Bethany.
First Day of Ramadan (Sat., May 27, 2017)*
This day marks the                   beginning of a month-long fast that all Muslims must keep during                   the daylight hours. It commemorates the first revelation of the                   Qur'an. Following the last day of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr is                   celebrated on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013.
Flag Day (Weds., June 14, 2017)
This day commemorates the adoption             by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, of the Stars and             Stripes as the U.S. flag. Although it is a legal holiday only in             Pennsylvania, President Truman, on Aug. 3, 1949, signed a bill             requesting the president to call for its observance each year by             proclamation.
Father's Day (Sun., June 18, 2017)
Observed the third Sunday in June.             The exact origin of the holiday is not clear, but it was first             celebrated June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Wash. In 1966 President             Lyndon Johnson signed a proclamation making Father's Day official.
Eid al-Fitr (Sun., June 25, 2017)*
Literally the "Festival of Breaking the Fast," Eid al-Fitr is one of the two most important Islamic celebrations. At Eid al-Fitr people dress in their finest clothes, adorn their homes with lights and decorations, give treats to children, and enjoy visits with friends and family.
Columbus Day (Mon., Oct. 9, 2017
A federal holiday observed the                   second Monday in October, it commemorates Christopher Columbus's                   landing in the New World in 1492. Quite likely the first                   celebration of Columbus Day was that organized in 1792 by the                   Society of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, widely known as                   Tammany Hall.
Columbus Day                       Timeline
Shemini Atzeret (Assembly of the                   Eighth Day) (Fri., Oct. 13, 2017)*
This                   joyous holiday, encompassing Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in the                   Torah), falls immediately after the seven days of Sukkot. It marks                   the end of the year's weekly readings of the Torah (Five Books of                   Moses) in the synagogue, and the beginning of the new cycle of                   reading.
Diwali (Thurs., Oct.                   19, 2017)
Diwali, the Hindu "festival of lights," is the                   best known of Hindu festivals. Diwali generally lasts for five                   days, beginning on the 14th day of the dark half of the Hindu                   calendar month of Asvina. It is celebrated throughout India and                   its diaspora.
Hindu Festival Dates
Halloween (Tues.,             Oct. 31, 2017)
Eve of All Saints' Day, formerly called All             Hallows and Hallowmass. Halloween is traditionally associated in             some countries with customs such as bonfires, masquerading, and             the telling of ghost stories. These are old Celtic practices             that mark the beginning of winter.
All Saints' Day (Weds., Nov.             1, 2017)
A Roman Catholic and Anglican holiday celebrating             all saints, known and unknown.
Election Day (Tues.,             Nov. 7, 2017)
Since 1845, by act of Congress, the first             Tuesday after the first Monday in November is the date for             choosing presidential electors. State elections are also generally             held on this day. The date is a legal holiday in certain states.
Veterans Day (Observed on Fri., Nov. 10, 2017)
Armistice Day, a federal holiday,             was established in 1926 to commemorate the signing in 1918 of the             armistice ending World War I. On June 1, 1954, the name was             changed to Veterans Day to honor all men and women who have served             America in its armed forces.
Thanksgiving (Thurs., Nov. 23, 2017)
A federal holiday observed the             fourth Thursday in November by act of Congress (1941), it was the             first such national proclamation issued by President Lincoln in             1863, on the urging of Mrs. Sarah J. Hale, editor of Godey's             Lady's Book. Most Americans believe that the holiday dates back to             the day of thanks ordered by Governor Bradford of Plymouth Colony             in New England in 1621, but scholars point out that days of thanks             stem from ancient times.