EverymonthoftheyearhassomethingspecialtocelebrateintheU.S.Throughouttheyears,theU.S.Congresshaspassedlawsdeclaringspecialdaysasofficialobservancesknownasfederalholidays.Eachfederalholidayrepresentsadaywhenfederalemployeesandmanyotherworkershaveapaiddayofffromtheirjobs.Therearesomeholidayswecelebratethatarenotfederalholidaysbutareverypopularholidaystocelebrate.

　　January

　　ThefirstdayofJanuaryisNewYear'sDay.ThisfederalholidaycelebratesthebeginningofeachNewYear.PeopleintheU.S.sometimesspendthisdaywatchingcollegefootballgamesandparades.

　　OnthethirdMondayinJanuary,wecelebrateMartinLutherKing,Jr.'sbirthdayasafederalholiday.MartinLutherKing,Jr.workedtochangelawssothatallpeopleintheU.S.wouldbetreatedfairly.Heworkedforchangeinthe1950sand60swhenmanystateshadlawsseparatingblackandwhitepeople.MartinLutherKingtaughtpeopletousepeacefuldemonstrationstochangelaws,insteadofviolence.Manylawswerechangedbecauseofhiswork.ManypeopleworkedwithhiminthehopethattheU.S.couldbeafaircountryforallpeople.

　　InJanuaryorFebruarymanypeopleintheU.S.celebratetheChineseNewYear.TheChineseNewYearfallsbetweenJanuary10thandFebruary19th.Thedatechangesbecauseitisfromacalendarbasedonthemoon,notthesun.Onthisday,manyfamiliescleantheirhomesofallthe"old"andgetreadyfortheNewYear.Theywearnewclothesandsharedeliciousfood.Theygiveeachotherredenvelopeswithmoneyforgoodluckinthecomingyear.Theyalsolightfirecrackerstochaseawaybadluck.

　　February

　　February14thisSaintValentine'sDay.SaintValentine'sDaybeganinEuropeandhasbeencelebratedforhundredsofyears.IntheU.S.today,werememberfriendsandsweetheartswithcardscalledvalentines,flowers,chocolatesorsmallgifts.

　　WecelebratePresidents'Dayonthe3rdMondayofFebruaryasafederalholidaycommemoratingthebirthdaysofGeorgeWashingtonandAbrahamLincoln……WecallGeorgeWashington"thefatherofourcountry"becausehewastheAmericangeneralintheRevolutionaryWarwholedustovictoryagainstEngland.Hewaselectedourfirstpresident.AbrahamLincolnwasour16thpresident.HekeptourcountrytogetherduringtheCivilWarwhentheSouthernstateswantedtoformaseparatecountry.LincolnfreedtheslaveswiththeEmancipationProclamation.

　　March

　　March17thisSt.Patrick'sDay.ThisholidaycomesfromIreland.Peoplewear3-leafshamrocksbecauseSt.PatrickusedthemtoexplaintheChristianTrinity.ManypeoplecelebratethisholidaybywearingshamrocksorgreenclothinginhonorofSt.Patrick.Somepeopleevendrinkgreenbeer!

　　April

　　Holidaysinthespringarecelebrationsoftherebirthoflife.PassoverisaJewishholidaycelebratedbetweenMarch13thandApril11th.EasterisaChristianholidaythatiscelebratedonaSundaybetweenMarch22ndandApril25th.ChristianscelebratetheresurrectionofJesusChrist.IntheU.S.,peopleattendreligiousservicesandfamilygatheringslikepicnics.Theyhidecoloredeggsforchildrentofind.Manychildrenwakeuptobasketsfilledwithcandythatthe"EasterBunny"hasleftforthem.

　　May

　　Mother'sDayisobservedintheUnitedStatesinhonorofmothersonthesecondSundayinMay.JuliaWardHowewroteaMother'sDayproclamationin1870.Shewantedtohaveaninternationaldaywhenallmothersoftheworldwouldstandupandspeakforpeace,sotheirsonswouldnothavetodieinwar.In1907,AnnaJarvisproposedadaytorememberallmothers.Today,Mother'sDayisaholidaytoremembermotherswithcards,flowersandpresents.

　　ManypeopleintheU.S.celebrate"elcincodemayo".Thismeansthe5thofMayinSpanish.ThisholidaycelebratesabattlewonbyMexicansagainsttheFrench.InsomeareasoftheU.S.,thereareparadesonthisday.ManypeopleeatMexicanfoodandlistentoMexicanMusic.

　　ThelastMondayinMayisMemorialDay.Since1868,thisfederalholidayhashonoredtheUnionCivilWarsoldierswhodied.Now,werememberallsoldierswhodiedforthiscountry.Peopledecoratesoldiers'graves.Manypeoplealsodecoratethegravesoftheirfamilies.

　　June

　　FlagDayonJune14thistheanniversaryoftheadoptionoftheAmericanflagin1777.Itisnotafederalholiday,althoughmanypeopledisplayflagsoutsidetheirhomesandintheircommunities.

　　ThethirdSundayinJuneisFather'sDayintheUnitedStates.Father'sDaywasfirstobservedin1910inSpokane,Washington.Thisisadaywhenpeopleremembertheirfatherswithpresentsandcards.Peoplecelebratewithfamilygatherings,picnicsandsportsactivities.

　　July

　　TheFourthofJulyisaveryimportantholidayintheU.S.WecelebratethesigningoftheDeclarationofIndependencebyrepresentativesofthethirteenAmericanColonies.OnJuly4,1776,JohnHancock,ThomasJeffersonandBenjaminFranklin,well-knownpatriots,declaredtheindependenceofthethirteenAmericancoloniesfromGreatBritain.Thisholidayisconsideredthe`birthdayoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica.'Itisthegreatestnon-religiousholidayontheU.S.Wecelebratethisdaywithfireworksandparades.

　　August

　　DuringthemonthofAugusttherearenomajorholidaystocelebrate.Manyfamiliesgoonvacationorhavepicnicsorgotothebeach.August26thisadaythatisrecognizedandcelebratedasEqualityDaybyindividualsorgroupsbecauseoftheadoptionofthe19thamendmenttotheConstitutionin1920.Thisamendmentgrantedwomentherighttovote.

　　September

　　Septemberhasonefederalholiday,LaborDay.IthonorsallworkingpeopleintheU.S.andCanada.ItbeganwithaNewYorkCityparadein1882andisnowcelebratedonthefirstMondayinSeptember.NationalGrandparentsDay,whichhonorsgrandparentsandthelovetheyshowtotheirchildren'schildren,iscelebratedthefirstSundayafterLaborDay.

　　October

　　The2ndMondayofOctoberisColumbusDay,celebratingthehistorictripofChristopherColumbustotheAmericasin1492.BecauseColumbuswasItalian,thisfederalholidayisespeciallyimportanttoItalian-Americansbutmaynotbecelebratedinallstates.

　　October31stisHalloween.Duringthe19thcentury,immigrantstotheUnitedStatesbroughtHalloweencustoms.Thesecustomshavechangedovertheyears.Childrenincostumesgofromhousetohousesaying"trickortreat."Thetreatusuallygiveniscandyandtricksarerarelydone.AcommonsymbolofHalloweenisthejack-o-lantern,whichiscarvedoutofapumpkin.

　　November

　　November11thisVeteran'sDay.ThisfederalholidayhonorsthesoldierswhofoughtinWorldWarIandthosewhofoughtfortheU.S.inallwars.WecelebratebydisplayingtheAmericanflagfromourhomes,havingparadesanddecoratinggraveswithflowersandflags.

　　ThanksgivingDayisthe4thThursdayinNovemberandafederalholiday.OnthisdaywerememberhowtheIndianshelpedthePilgrimsbyteachingthemhowtofarmandhunt.Onthisday,wegivethanksforfood,ourcountry,andourfamilies.

　　December

　　InDecemberwecelebrateholidaysoflightandhopeinthedarkwinter.Thereisaneight-dayJewishholidayknownasChanukahduringwhichcandlesarelitoneachday.December12thistheholidayoftheVirginofGuadalupe,whoappearedtoapoorIndianinMexicoamongwinterflowers.

　　December25thisChristmas,celebratingthebirthofJesusofNazareth.ManypeopledecoratetheirhouseswithChristmastreesandlightsandgivepresentstofamilymembers.ChildrenhangstockingsforSantaClaus(St.Nicholas)tofillwithgifts.Christmasisafederalholiday.TheAfrican-AmericanholidayofKwanzaaisthelastweekofDecember.CandlesarelittorepresentthevirtuesoftheAfrican-Americanpeople.

　　Asyoucansee,wehavemuchtocelebrateintheU.S.Manyholidaysareuniquelyourownandmanyhavebeenborrowedfromothercountries.Weareacountryofmanyculturesandmanyholidays!