New Year’s Day
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...
Valentine’s Day
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...
St Patrick’s Day
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...
Mother’s Day
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...
Memorial Day
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...
Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating emancipation of enslaved African Americans. It is also often observed for celebrating African American culture. Originating in Galveston, Texas, it has been celebrated annually...
Father’s Day
Father’s Day is 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...
Independence Day
Independence Day is the day of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, celebrated in all states and territories. The observance began the next year in Philadelphia. Today Americans celebrate with parades,...
Labor Day
A federal holiday observed the first Monday in September. Labor Day was first celebrated in New York in 1882 under the sponsorship of the Central Labor Union, following the suggestion of Peter J. McGuire,...
Halloween
Halloween is the eve of All Saints’ Day, formerly called All Hallows and Hallowmass. Halloween is traditionally associated with customs such as bonfires, masquerading, and the telling of ghost stories, old Celtic practices that...
