When and how are celebrated American holidays

American holidays have their own traditions. The name of most of them sounds strange to our ear (for example, Thanksgiving), and others familiar as a Labor Day, for example, are celebrated absolutely not when it is celebrated by the rest of the world, on May 1, and in September, on the first Monday Month. In addition to official state holidays and weekends, which have become non-working days, there are many more festivals related to the Christian religion (Ascension, Pentecost) or to customs brought mainly by emigrants from Great Britain (Valentine's Day, Halloween). Some of them, such as Christmas, Easter and Groundhog Day, also officially began to be celebrated as days off.

What days fall on the main national holidays of the USA? The Federal Government has established the following dates as official holidays, which are declared weekend throughout the country.

January 1 is almost the only holiday that Americans celebrate together with the rest of the world. But if in the CIS countries the fun is just beginning, then in the US this day is the end of all Christmas holidays and school winter vacations. Since January 2 in the United States, "gray days" begin. How do Americans celebrate the New Year? Compared with last Christmas, not on such a scale as we have. Gifts to each other no one gives, around the tree round dances do not drive. However, the holiday is celebrated cheerfully: in New York on Times Square the start of the glittering balloon is launched, in the city of Philadelphia there is a parade of pantomimes, and in California Pasadena - the Tournament of roses.

American holidays are very patriotic. Many of them are directly or indirectly related to the formation of the state of the United States of America. These are such holidays as the Day of Presidents (the birthday of George Washington, who, as you know, was the first president of the country). This holiday is declared a day off and solemnly celebrated since 1885. He falls on February, namely on his third Monday. Naturally, the famous Independence Day, which falls on July 4 - is celebrated with a special glamor: everywhere, in big and small cities, parades are held, and in the evening the sky explodes from holiday fireworks. Columbus Day, which falls on the second Monday of October, marks the landing on the shore of the New World by a brave Italian navigator, who opened a new continent for subsequent generations of emigrants from Europe.

There are also American holidays, which are devoted to certain events that initiated the development of rights and freedoms of American citizens. Every third Monday in January, the Day of Remembrance of a prominent fighter against racial discrimination of Martin Luther King is celebrated. This day is celebrated from the day of his assassination in 1968. Labor Day, which falls on the first Monday of September, is intended to mark the event that happened in 1869, when the first "Knights of Labor" union was formed in Philadelphia. Thanksgiving, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, recalls the event of 1621, when emigrant Puritans landed on the coast of America. The agricultural crops brought by them did not take root, and the severe winter reduced their number by half. The tribes of the Indians taught foreign Europeans to grow corn and other crops, and since then the end of autumn in America is celebrated as a day of thanksgiving for the gifts. Usually this holiday is celebrated in the family circle, and on the table there is at least one dish that was eaten by the surviving emigrants.

Groundhog Day (February 2) and Halloween (October 31) are very funny American holidays. In February, the attention of the whole country is focused on the small town of Pankstone in Pennsylvania, where the marmot Phil lives. If the animal on this day is sleepy, and the sky is clear, the winter will continue for another 6 weeks. Otherwise, everyone expects early spring. On October 31, children dress up in ghosts, witches, vampires and other horrible characters, walk the streets and beg for sweets.

Celebrating the holidays of America is Christmas, celebrated, as everywhere in the countries living according to the Gregorian calendar, on December 25.