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American Public Holidays

Americans enjoy eleven public holidays each year. Easter Sunday, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day are shared with the UK.

Eight other holidays are uniquely American (although some of them have counterparts in other nations). For most Americans, two of these stand out above the others as occasions to cherish national origins - Thanksgiving and Fourth of July.

Uniquely American Holidays

Thanksgiving Day is the fourth Thursday in November. Many Americans take a vacation day on the following Friday to make a four-day weekend, during which they may travel long distances to visit family and friends.

The Thanksgiving holiday dates to 1621 - the year after the Pilgrim Fathers arrived in Massachusetts. After a bleak winter, in which about half of them died, the Pilgrims turned for help to the neighbouring Indians, who taught them how to plant corn and other crops. The next fall's bountiful harvest inspired the Pilgrims to give thanks by holding a feast. The Thanksgiving feast has become a national tradition. To this day, Thanksgiving dinner almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Before the meal begins, families or friends usually pause to give thanks for their blessings, including the joy of being united for the occasion.

Fourth of July, or Independence Day: Honours the nation's birthday - the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It is a day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks. The flying of the American flag (which also occurs on Memorial Day and other holidays) is widespread.

Martin Luther King Day: The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., an African-American clergyman, is considered a great American because of his efforts to win civil rights for all people through non-violent means. Since his assassination in 1968, memorial services have marked his birthday on January 15. In 1986, that day was replaced by the third Monday of January, which was declared a national holiday.

Presidents' Day: Until the mid-1970s, the February 22 birthday of George Washington, hero of the Revolutionary War and first president of the United States, was a national holiday. In addition, the February 12 birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the president during the Civil War, was a holiday in most states. The two days have been joined, and the holiday has been expanded to embrace all past presidents. It is celebrated on the third Monday in February.

Memorial Day: Celebrated on the fourth Monday of May, this holiday honours the dead. Although it originated in the aftermath of the Civil War, it has become a day on which the dead of all wars, and the dead generally, are remembered in special programs held in cemeteries, churches, and other public meeting places.

Labour Day: The first Monday of September, this holiday honours the nation's working people, typically with parades. For most Americans it marks the end of the summer vacation season, and for many students the opening of the school year.

Columbus Day: On October 12, 1492, Italian navigator Christopher Columbus landed in the New World. It takes place on the second Monday in October.

Veteran's Day: Originally called Armistice Day, this holiday was established to honour Americans who had served in World War I. It falls on November 11, the day when that war ended in 1918, but it now honours veterans of all wars in which the United States has fought. Veterans' organisations hold parades, and the president customarily places a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

There are also special days that, while not official holidays, are still widely observed.

Groundhog Day on 2 February is a rural tradition that claims if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on that day and sees its shadow, it will go back inside and there will be six more weeks of winter.

Flag Day on 14 June celebrates the adoption of the US flag in 1777.

The main holiday months are from June to early September, when the schools take their summer break. Many US workers get only two weeks of paid vacation a year, much less than most Europeans.