Holidays in the United States Virgin Islands include all official holidays of the United States as well as religious and secular holidays designated by the Government of the Virgin Islands.
Public holidays
edit| Date | Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | New Year's Day | |
| January 6 | Three Kings Day | |
| Third Monday in January | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day | |
| Third Monday in February | President's Day | |
| March 31 | Transfer Day | Celebrates the transfer of the USVI from Denmark to the United States in 1917.[1] |
| Thursday before Easter | Holy Thursday | |
| Friday before Easter | Good Friday | Easter is observed in the territory according to Western Christian traditions, i.e. (in summary), on the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after March 21 (the day of the ecclesiastical vernal equinox). |
| Monday after Easter | Easter Monday | |
| Last Monday in May | Memorial Day | |
| June 19 | Juneteenth | |
| July 3 | Emancipation Day | Recognizes the abolition of slavery in the Danish West Indies in 1848.[2] |
| July 4 | American Independence Day | |
| Fourth Monday in July | Hurricane Supplication Day | Established to pray to be spared from hurricanes. No longer a paid holiday.[2] |
| First Monday in September | Labor Day | |
| Second Monday in October | Virgin Islands–Puerto Rico Friendship Day/Columbus Day | Established in 1964 to recognize the ties between the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.[3] |
| October 25 | Hurricane Thanksgiving | Established to give thanks for being spared from hurricanes. No longer a paid holiday. |
| November 1 | Liberty Day | Also known as "D. Hamilton Jackson Day" or "Bull and Bread Day." A day to honor David Hamilton Jackson (1884–1946), a Virgin Islands labor rights leader from St. Croix.[4] |
| November 11 | Veterans Day | |
| Fourth Thursday in November | Thanksgiving Day | Schools remain closed Friday. |
| December 25 | Christmas Day | |
| December 26 | Christmas Second Day | Also known as Boxing Day. |
| December 31 | New Year's Eve | Also known as Old Year's Night. Not always a paid holiday. |
Carnival
editIn addition to these holidays, all three islands celebrate multi-day carnivals. V.I. Carnival takes place in St. Thomas in April/May, St. John Carnival is in June/July, and St. Croix's Crucian Festival is in December/January.[5] The Virgin Islands Government regularly grants administrative leave to its employees for various Carnival-related events (such as Food Fair, J'ouvert, Children's Parade and Adults' Parade), and schools are closed during the culmination of V.I. Carnival.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "March Holiday Celebrations in the United States Virgin Islands" (PDF). Virgin Islands Department of Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
- ^ a b "July Holiday Celebrations in the United States Virgin Islands" (PDF). Virgin Islands Department of Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
- ^ "October Holiday Celebrations in the United States Virgin Islands" (PDF). Virgin Islands Department of Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
- ^ "November Holiday Celebrations in the United States Virgin Islands" (PDF). Virgin Islands Department of Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
- ^ "VInow: Virgin Islands Carnival Celebrations". VInow.com. Retrieved January 2, 2014.