History UsefulNotes / AmericanHolidays

* '''UsefulNotes/SuperBowl Sunday''' (second Sunday in February[[note]]This can be anywhere on/from February 8 to February 14. The date has changed over time with changes to the NFL schedule; the most recent occurred when the NFL expanded its regular-season schedule from 16 to 17 games starting with the 2021 season.[[/note]]): The BigGame for the NFL. Many people watch it, even if they hate football--and those who don't hear about it, and often even hold parties on the same day. Some businesses may give the following day off due to how drunk most of their employees got the preceding night. The night when companies are willing to blow $2.4 million on [[SuperBowlSpecial an ad that is going to be seen by at least ninety million Americans]], most of whom are probably tuning in just for the advertisements. The subsequent Monday or Tuesday is a de facto holiday in the winning city, as they host a parade for the winning team. There is a movement to make the Monday after the game an official holiday for what should be obvious reasons.

* '''Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.''' (third Monday in January[[note]]This can be anywhere on/from January 15th to January 21st[[/note]]): A holiday created to honor civil rights leader Dr. UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr, and the UsefulNotes/CivilRightsMovement in general. Often referred to simply as '''Martin Luther King Day'''. First observed as a Federal holiday in 1986, it took some time to gain acceptance nationwide. South Carolina became the last state to officially recognize the holiday in 2000. There aren't any standard traditions (although cities with large Black communities, especially in the South, may hold a parade), but many people do charity and community service work on that day. The slogan "A Day On, Not a Day Off!" has been used to encourage people to treat the holiday as a "day of service."

* '''Washington's Birthday''' (third Monday in February[[note]]This can anywhere on/from February 15th (the day after Valentine's Day) to February 21st[[/note]]): A holiday to honor UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington, America's first President. Starting in TheEighties, many people and states (but not the Federal government) started calling it '''Presidents' Day''', partly to honor all of [[UsefulNotes/ThePresidentsOfTheUnitedStates America's Presidents]], and partly because UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln[='=]s birthday was around the same time.[[note]]Because of the way the February calendar works, the observance always falls between the actual birthdates of Lincoln (February 12) and Washington (February 22).[[/note]] To most people, this day means huge sales at stores. Watching television in February will make you wonder if America's forefathers simply wanted to ensure they could buy inexpensive cars and mattresses. UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}}'s biggest event, the season-opening Daytona 500, runs on that weekend.
* '''Memorial Day''' (last Monday in May[[note]]This can be anywhere on/from May 25th to May 31st[[/note]]): A holiday for recognizing [[UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks those soldiers]] who have died in service to the United States. All flags are lowered to half-mast. To most people it is also the unofficial start of summer. For a long time this day was also the official start of the Hollywood [[SummerBlockbuster summer movie season]], although many studios have taken to releasing their big summer movies earlier in May or even in April. The UsefulNotes/{{Indianapolis}} [[UsefulNotes/IndyCar 500]] is run on Memorial Day Weekend. Most Americans celebrate Memorial Day by holding picnics and barbecues, visiting memorials and graves of loved ones, and going to sporting events. Originally created to commemorate the end of the UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, Memorial Day grew out of various local "Decoration Days" which arose spontaneously in the wake of the catastrophe. The holiday used to be held on May 30; the move to the last Monday in May was fairly contentious among veterans.

* '''UsefulNotes/{{Labor Day|InTheUnitedStates}}''' (first Monday in September[[note]]This can be anywhere on/from September 1st to September 7th[[/note]]): A holiday honoring the organized labor movement in the United States. The date was chosen partly because of the growing association of May 1 (International Workers' Day in much of Europe) with radical leftist groups. It has become viewed as the symbolic end of summer, with most Americans celebrating by holding [[RuleOfThree barbecues]] and going on trips with their family. It's also the official end of the summer movie season, and is [[DumpMonths generally the weakest weekend in terms of box-office gross]].[[note]]Weekend totals that would keep a movie out of the top ten during the summer could well make a movie #1 on this weekend.[[/note]]
* '''Columbus Day''' (second Monday in October[[note]]This can be anywhere on/from October 8th to October 14th--in Canada, this is when people celebrate Thanksgiving Day[[/note]]): Celebration of Christopher Columbus' landing in the Americas on October 12, 1492. In some places, mostly in the Northeast, it is also an unofficial Italian-American heritage holiday. Celebration of Columbus Day is ''very'' controversial in many parts of the country (especially as you head out west), where many Native Americans and like-minded groups have serious objections to the idea of honoring a man who they feel was a racist butcher. As a result, some states and towns have created an alternative '''Indigenous Peoples Day''', held on the same day. There are rarely any particular celebrations, and mostly schools teach elementary students about the landing the week beforehand (this used to be heavily [[{{Disneyfication}} airbrushed]] in the past, but since the 90s, schools have been more likely to give the story straight), before giving them the day off. (One episode of ''Series/TheSopranos'' dealt with the tension between the "Italian-American heritage" interpretation and the "Indigenous Peoples" interpretation; consensus holds the episode to be godawful, a lowlight in the otherwise excellent third season.)

* '''UsefulNotes/ThanksgivingDay''' (fourth Thursday in November[[note]]This can be anywhere on/from November 22nd to November 28th[[/note]]): A holiday that traditionally celebrated giving thanks for the fall harvest, but is more commonly associated with the dinner shared by the colonists at Plymouth, Massachusetts and the local Native Americans. It is usually celebrated with a big turkey dinner, parades (including the UsefulNotes/MacysThanksgivingDayParade), UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague and [[UsefulNotes/CollegiateAmericanFootball college football]] games, and [[ThanksgivingEpisode TV specials]]. Originally celebrated as a strictly local holiday in [[HollywoodNewEngland New England]] and the Northeast, the first national day of thanksgiving was declared by president Abraham Lincoln during the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar.

* '''Arbor Day''': (Originally April 10, but now observed on the last Friday of April[[note]]This can be anywhere on/from April 24 to April 30[[/note]]) The "other" Earth Day, not as widely known, but some environmentalists actually prefer it ''because'' of the fact that its lower profile has sheltered it from the commercialization suffered by its more famous counterpart, Earth Day.

* '''Mother's Day''' (second Sunday in May[[note]]This can be anywhere on/from May 8 to May 14[[/note]]): Honors mothers and motherhood. Technically a federal holiday, but since it falls on a Sunday, this distinction doesn't change anything. Notable in that the originator of the holiday wanted to bring attention to the plight of female factory workers. When the perceived MisaimedFandom turned it into a general card-and-gift holiday, she renounced it.
* '''Armed Forces Day''' (third Saturday in May[[note]]This can anywhere on/from May 15 to May 21[[/note]]): Pretty much exactly what it says on the tin; one of a trio of military holidays, Armed Forces Day celebrates those currently serving as Veterans Day celebrates veterans and Memorial Day commemorates the dead. Not a big popular holiday but celebrated by the military with open houses and air shows.

* '''Father's Day''' (third Sunday in June[[note]]This can anywhere on/from June 15 to June 21[[/note]]): The SpearCounterpart of Mother's Day. Usually celebrated in the form of kids buying ties and tool sets for their dads.

* '''New Year's Eve''' (December 31): The last day of the year, when everybody parties and makes New Year's Resolutions that they will have broken by the end of January. Celebrated worldwide with massive spectacles, American New Year's Eve celebrations consist of staying up until midnight (and often much later) to watch the Times Square Ball drop on TV (the most famous broadcast is the New Year's Rockin' Eve celebration on Creator/{{ABC}} with Dick Clark and, since 2005, Ryan Seacrest) -- unless they can be there in person. Generally it's celebrated like an alcoholic's birthday party without the cake. The single busiest night of the year for taxi drivers, with no close second.