Holiday

A federal holiday 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. It is usually celebrated with parties the night before. On January 1, some people institute lifestyle changes known as “New Year’s Resolutions.”

Valentine's Day is a day for expressions of romantic love. 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.

On this holiday revelers of all ethnicities honor Ireland’s patron saint with food, drink, music, and dancing. St. Patrick has been honored in America since the first days of the nation. Perhaps the most notable observance is the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in New York City.

Mother's Day is 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.

On Memorial Day Americans honor the dead (particularly those killed in war) by visiting cemeteries, flying the American flag, and attending special gatherings and church services. Memorial Day became a federal holiday in 1971 and is observed on the last Monday in May. It originated in 1868, when Union General John A. Logan designated a day in which the graves of Civil War soldiers would be decorated. Originally known as...