In the United States,

public holidays A public holiday, national holiday, federal holiday, statutory holiday, bank holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Types Civic holiday A ''civic holiday'', also k ...

are set by federal,

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

, and local governments and are often observed by closing government offices or giving government employees

paid time off Paid time off, planned time off, or personal time off (PTO), is a policy in some employee handbooks that provides a bank of hours in which the employer pools sick days, vacation days, and personal days that allows employees to use as the need or ...

. The federal government does not require private businesses to close or offer paid time off, as is the case for most state and local governments, so employers determine which

holidays A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

to observe. Several federal holidays are widely observed by private businesses with paid time off. These include

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

, Memorial Day,

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

, and

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

. Businesses often close or grant paid time off for

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

, and the Day after Thanksgiving, but none of these are federal holidays. Other federal holidays are less widely observed by businesses. Most federal holidays are celebrated on a Monday or Friday to create a three-day weekend. Christmas is the only religious holiday that is a federal holiday. Some businesses allow

religious Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...

employees to take paid time off for religious observances. Other holidays, such as

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

and

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...

, are widely celebrated in the United States but rarely include paid time off.

Overview

There are no national holidays on which the law requires all businesses to close. Federal holidays are only established for certain federally chartered and regulated businesses, government contractors, and the city of

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. All other public holidays are created by the States. Most states allow local jurisdictions, cities, villages, etc., to establish local holidays. As a result, holidays have not historically been governed at the federal level, and federal law does not govern business openings. Many states have additional holidays that the federal government does not observe. Most prominent among these are holidays to celebrate statehood. Since 2000, some city and state-level celebrations of Malcolm X Day and Rosa Parks Day have been created, in addition to the federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day, to honor and recognize

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

contributions to the United States.

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

honors Rosa Parks on her birthday. Colorado became the first state to establish a paid state holiday honoring a woman in 2020 with the designation of the first Monday in October as Frances Xavier Cabrini Day. Stpatrick parade atlanta

Many businesses observe certain holidays, which are also not mandated by any government agency. Many workplaces celebrate religious observance as well as ethnic holidays, such as

Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chris ...

, Kwanzaa,

Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...

, Mardi Gras, and Cinco de Mayo, as a matter of best practice. While the popularity of each public holiday cannot easily be measured, the holiday with the highest greeting card sales is Christmas. Major retail establishments, such as

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term ''mall'' originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it, but in the late 1960s, i ...

s and centers, close only on

and

, but remain open on all other holidays, with early closings on

and

, and sometimes on other major holidays. In the face of a rapidly tightening retail market in the 2010s, retailers have increasingly been opening on Thanksgiving evening and night to extend Black Friday and the

holiday shopping season A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are ofte ...

, however, the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

greatly limited this practice. Virtually all large companies observe and close on the major holidays (

, Memorial Day,

, and

). Some non-retail businesses close the day after Thanksgiving, while others, such as federal banks and post offices, are not allowed to close that day. Some smaller businesses normally open on Sundays will close on

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

Sunday if they expect to have very few customers that day.

Holiday business restrictions

Some states restrict certain business activities on some holidays. Business closures are mandated on a few holidays in some states for certain kinds of businesses by

blue law Blue laws (also known as Sunday laws, Sunday trade laws, and Sunday closing laws) are laws restricting or banning certain activities on specified days, usually Sundays in the western world. The laws were adopted originally for Religion, religio ...

s. For example, businesses that operate on more than cannot open on

in some

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

states. The most notable businesses to close on such occasions are car dealerships and

liquor store A liquor store is a retail business that predominantly sells prepackaged alcoholic beverages, including liquors (typically in bottles), wine or beer, usually intended to be consumed off the store's premises. Depending on region and local idiom ...

s. Some holidays are observed with community service, depending on the meaning of the holiday. Service is not mandated by any government agencies, whether they be federal, state, or local.

Federal holidays

The following federal holidays are observed by the majority of private businesses with paid time off: *

(January 1) * Memorial Day (May 25–31, floating Monday) *

(July 4) *

(September 1–7, floating Monday) * Thanksgiving Day (November 22–28, floating Thursday) *

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...

(December 25) Other federal holidays are less widely observed by businesses. These include: * Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15–21, floating Monday) * Washington's Birthday (February 15–21, floating Monday) * Juneteenth (June 19) *

Columbus Day Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere, and a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. He went ashore at ...

(October 8–14, floating Monday) * Veterans Day (November 11) Established in 2021, Juneteenth is the newest federal holiday. In its second year of federal observance, 30% of private employers offered paid time off.

Holidays with religious significance

Religious and cultural holidays in the United States are characterized by a diversity of religious beliefs and practices. However, the

First Amendment to the United States Constitution The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prevents Federal government of the United States, Congress from making laws respecting an Establishment Clause, establishment of religion; prohibiting the Free Exercise Cla ...

provides that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...." and Article VI specifies that " no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." As a result, various religious faiths have flourished, as well as perished, in the United States. In 2002, a majority of Americans reported that religion plays a "very important" role in their lives, a proportion unique among developed nations. In 2012, the majority of Americans (73–80%) identified themselves as Christians and about 15–20% had no religious affiliation. In the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), 76% of American adults population identified themselves as Christians, with 51% professing attendance at a variety of churches that could be considered Protestant or unaffiliated, and 25% professing Catholic beliefs. The same survey said that other religions (including, for example,

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, and

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

) collectively made up about 4% of the adult population, another 15% of the adult population claimed no religious affiliation, and 5.2% said they did not know, or they refused to reply. In a 2012 survey by the Pew forum, 36 percent of Americans stated that they attended services nearly every week or more.

Christian holidays

With 65% of adults in the U.S. identifying as Christian in 2019, many holidays from the liturgical calendar are observed by this segment of the population. Many businesses, as well as federal, state, and local governments, are closed on

. A reference in the film '' A Christmas Story'' shows a Chinese restaurant being the only establishment open on Christmas. Some private businesses and certain other institutions are closed on

Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...

(, , , ). The financial market and stock market is closed on Good Friday. Most retail stores remain open, although some might close early. Public schools and most universities are closed on Good Friday, either as a holiday of its own, or part of

spring break Spring break is a vacation period at universities and schools that includes the Easter holiday, and takes place in early Northern Hemisphere spring. Introduced in the U.S. during the 1930s, spring break has been observed in Europe since t ...

. The postal service operates, and banks regulated by the federal government do not close for Good Friday. Many companies, including banks, malls, shopping centers, and most private retail stores that normally open on Sundays are closed on

(, , , ).

Hindu holidays

The Hindu holidays of

and

Holi Holi () is a major Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring.The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...".Yudit Greenberg, Encyclopedia of Love in World ...

are celebrated in some parts of the United States, mostly by Indian Americans or peoples of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n descent. Holi, the "festival of colors" has inspired a Broadway musical based on this festival. While not officially recognized in most of the United States, the New York City Council officially recognized these as official school holidays in New York City. CNN reported that the Diwali holiday is shown in American pop culture through an episode of '' The Office''.

Jewish holidays

The three most commonly celebrated Jewish holidays are

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday and one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Biblical Egypt, Egypt. According to the Book of Exodus, God in ...

(),

Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah (, , ) is the New Year in Judaism. The Hebrew Bible, biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , ). It is the first of the High Holy Days (, , 'Days of Awe"), as specified by Leviticus 23:23–25, that occur in the late summe ...

(), and Yom Kippur ().

, Yom Kippur,

, and

Hanukkah Hanukkah (, ; ''Ḥănukkā'' ) is a Jewish holidays, Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd ce ...

() are recognized as an optional state level holiday in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. All Jewish holidays start the night before, as that is when the Jewish day begins.

Islamic holidays

The major Islamic holidays of

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

Eid al-Fitr Eid al-Fitr () is the first of the two main Islamic holidays, festivals in Islam, the other being Eid al-Adha. It falls on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide becaus ...

, and Eid al-Adha have been recognized in the United States. Awareness of these holidays can be found in calendars published by major calendar manufacturers. According to Al-Jazeera, schools in New York and

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

(mainly Dearborn) may begin to close in observance of all Muslim holidays.

Holidays with other cultural or historical significance

Drinking holidays

According to the National Institutes of Health, about 86% of the population over 18 drinks alcohol recreationally or socially. In the United States, the holidays that are considered the most "festive" are generally regarded as some of the "most drunken holidays". Celebrations usually revolve around barbecues and beer. Although many of these holidays lack any official status, they are generally observed by the drinking culture for the fact that these holidays revolve around drinking. One measurement of the popularity of these holidays is the amount of alcohol purchased for the occasion. One survey names

as the holiday on which the most alcohol is consumed based on sales. While many holidays are listed, some are generally notable for their drinking requirement while others are known for abstinence.

African American holidays

Some holidays in the United States celebrate or recognize the struggle of African-Americans for

emancipation Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure Economic, social and cultural rights, economic and social rights, civil and political rights, po ...

from

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

and

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

. Two holidays are celebrated as Federal holidays: * Martin Luther King Jr. Day, observed on the Monday falling on or between January 15–21, commemorates the birthday of Dr. King, a significant leader of the Civil Rights Movement. The holiday was established federally in 1983 and first officially celebrated in 1986; efforts to create the holiday faced strong opposition and some southern states paired the new holiday with a holiday honoring the Confederacy * Juneteenth, observed on June 19, commemorates the announcement of the abolition of

in Texas in June 1865, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans. The name is a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of ''June'' and ''nineteenth'' and has been a federal holiday since 2021. Some states and cities have additional holidays honoring African-Americans: *

Emancipation Day Emancipation Day is observed in many former European colonies in the West Indies and parts of the United States on various dates to commemorate the emancipation of African slave trade#Abolition, slaves of African descent. In much of the British ...

, observed in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands on various days based on when enslaved people were emancipated in those jurisdictions * Harriet Tubman Day, observed in New York and in some parts of Maryland on March 10 * Malcolm X Day, observed in Illinois and Berkeley, California, on May 19; also celebrated in cities such as Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. as an unofficial holiday * Rosa Parks Day, observed in Missouri on February 4, in California and Michigan on the following Monday, and in Ohio on December 1 A significant African-American cultural celebration is Kwanzaa, observed from December 26 to January 1. Created by Maulana Karenga in 1966, the holiday honors African heritage in

African-American culture African-American culture, also known as Black American culture or Black culture in American English, refers to the cultural expressions of African Americans, either as part of or distinct from mainstream American culture. African-American/Bl ...

Confederate holidays

Some states celebrate holidays honoring the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

that seceded from the United States. Many of these state holidays were created in the early twentieth century, fifty years after the end of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, as part of the myth of the

Lost Cause of the Confederacy The Lost Cause of the Confederacy, known simply as the Lost Cause, is an American pseudohistory, pseudohistorical and historical negationist myth that argues the cause of the Confederate States of America, Confederate States during the America ...

. * Confederate Memorial (or Heroes) Day is observed in Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana and Texas on various days. * Robert E. Lee Day (on or around Lee's Jan 19 birthday) is still observed in Alabama and Mississippi combined with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the only remaining states to do so. It is officially recognized in Florida, but is not widely observed there.

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

combined the observance of Robert E. Lee Day with Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1985. In 2017, the state passed a law removing Lee's name from the January holiday and instead establishing a state memorial day on the second Saturday of October in honor of Lee. * Confederate History Month has been declared at least once in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia as well as by various cities, usually in April to augment Confederate Memorial Day.

Other traditional and informal holidays

In addition to the federal/national holidays, many religious, ethnic, and other traditional holidays populate the calendar, as well as lighter celebrations. These are rarely observed by businesses as holidays; indeed, many are viewed as opportunities for commercial promotion. Because of this commercialization, some critics apply the deprecatory term '' Hallmark holiday'' to such days, after the

Hallmark A hallmark is an official Mark (sign), mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal, mostly to certify the content of noble metals—such as platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term ''Wikti ...

greeting card company. *

Groundhog Day Groundhog Day (, , , ; Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a tradition observed regionally in the United States and Canada on February 2 of every year. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if ...

, February 2 *

, February 14 *

, March 17 * April Fool's Day, April 1 * Patriots' Day (Revolutionary War), April 15 *

Earth Day Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally through earthday.org (formerly Earth Day Network) includin ...

, April 22, varies *

Arbor Day Arbor Day (or Arbour Day in some countries) is a Secularity, secular day of observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. Today, many countries observe such a holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date v ...

, April 24–30, floating Friday * May Day, May 1 * Cinco de Mayo, May 5 * Mother's Day (United States), Mother's Day, May 8–14, floating Sunday * Flag Day (United States), Flag Day, June 14 * Helen Keller Day, June 27 * Father's Day (United States), Father's Day, June 15–21, floating Sunday * Pioneer Day, July 24 * Women's Equality Day, August 26 * Patriot Day, September 11 * Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, September 17 * Oktoberfest celebrations, Oktoberfest, various days in September/October * World Vegetarian Day, October 1 globally (initiating Vegetarian Awareness Month throughout October) *

, October 31 * Election Day (United States), Election Day (also Democracy Day), November 2–8, floating Tuesday * Black Friday, November 23–29, floating Friday * Small Business Saturday, November 23–30, floating Saturday * Cyber Monday, November 26–December 2, floating Monday * National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, December 7 *

, December 31

Other notable holidays

* Opening Day (late March/early April; the beginning of the Major League Baseball season and an unofficial indication that summer is approaching) * Winter vacation, Winter break (two weeks in early winter that schools are off) * Spring break (one week in early spring that schools are off) * Summer vacation (summer months in which schools are off) * Super Bowl Sunday (the second Sunday in February; the day of the National Football League's Super Bowl, championship; festivities generally including in-home parties and watching the game on television with beverages and snacks) * Festivus (Dec 23; a parody holiday that protests Christmas commercialization)

References

External links

U.S. Department of Commerce Federal Holiday Calendar

Text of Federal Holiday Legislation

Bizarre American Holidays
– a comprehensive compilation of special recognition given both to months and individual days. ''Unfortunately, the origins of the commemorations aren't provided.''

Federal Holidays: Evolution and Application
CRS Report for Congress, 98-301 GOV, updated February 8, 1999, by Stephen W. Stathis {{North America topic, Public holidays in Public holidays in the United States, Lists of public holidays by country, United States Lists of events in the United States, Holidays ja:アメリカ合衆国#祝祭日

Overview

Holiday business restrictions

Federal holidays

Holidays with religious significance

Christian holidays

Hindu holidays

Jewish holidays

Islamic holidays

Holidays with other cultural or historical significance

Drinking holidays

African American holidays

Confederate holidays

Other traditional and informal holidays

Other notable holidays

See also

References

External links