Talk:Public holidays in the United States/Archive 1

Archive 1

Removed Christmas section.

I removed the Christmas section as it was conveying false info. The article claime that it was a largely Non Secular holiday in the U.S (Which it isn't, it just so happens that Christianity is the dominent Religion in America) and that it was far removed from it's origional meaning (which is POV) I skimed over the rest of the section and it seemed to be more about Christmas Traditions thn it's impact on American Culture (IE: the U.S isn't the only country to have christmas trees) which would be far better suited for an article on Christmas as opposed to in this article. Deathawk 16:39, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

4:20

4:20 is not a holiday by any stretch of the imagination. I'd delete it, but I have no idea how the charts work, and don't want to screw anything up. JamesBenjamin 20:32, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

And I just figured out how the charts work, and removed it myself.JamesBenjamin 20:34, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

Inauguration Day

Aside from the vice-president, what other "elected officials" are sworn in on Inauguration Day? Congress convenes and is sworn in ~two weeks earlier. Isaacsf 03:52, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

After 9+ months with no comment, I've gone ahead and made the edit to include only Pres and VP being sworn in on Inauguration Day. Isaacsf (talk) 20:45, 26 January 2008 (UTC)

Why isn't Dec 25th (let alone Christmas) mentioned in the Federal Holidays list??

The introduction claims that there are eleven federal holidays, but then there are only ten entries in the list, and Dec 25th is not included.

Surely incorrect.

Silentvelcro (talk) 03:16, 10 April 2009 (UTC)

Summer - traditionally considered?

In the fourth paragraph, it says "Summer is traditionally considered to run from Memorial Day to Labor Day." I'd like to say "Summer is informally considered..." because traditionally (in my opinion), Wikipedically and astronomically, summer starts on the summer solstice and ends on the autumnal equinox. Plus, in checking the Memorial Day article, I found out that holiday only goes back to 1866, and summer goes back much farther than that. If nobody objects, I'll make the change. DBlomgren 15:43, 28 July 2007 (UTC)

I agree that "tradition" isn't the right word. An alternative might be "colloquially" or something along those lines? Isaacsf 02:10, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

I removed it because summer is a season, not a holiday. DBlomgren 20:55, 10 August 2007 (UTC)

This probably should be re-worded to indicate the summer tourist season, not summer generally. Erzahler (talk) 22:52, 5 June 2009 (UTC)

Federal Hodliday != day off

True public holidays are effectively unconstitutional in the United States under the Free Association Clause of the First Amendment. If a business wants to close for a holiday, it may do so; and it may do so at any time. If it wants to close for Christmas Day on 17 July, it may do so. It would be considered exceptionally weird, but it's perfectly free to do so, because, in America, the government cannot tell businesses and individuals what holidays they can and cannot observe, or when they can and cannot observe them. If you as an individual want to celebrate Christmas on 30 April, you are free to do so. Your employer might fire you for not showing up at work (so, you'd better call in and take a sick day), but if you want to celebrate Christmas on 30 April, you have every legal right to do so.

The federal, state and local governments *do* have the right to establish holidays for themselves, including their employees. But even then, there are holidays - like Leif Ericsson Day (an annual proclamation for 9 October) which are not intended for actual observance, or whose observance (e.g., St. Patrick's Day - which is *not* a federal legal holiday) does not involve taking the day off work. So, ultimately, the only definition of "federal holiday" for the United States is that it's a day designated as a holiday by and for the US federal government. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.12.183.189 (talk) 20:57, 10 September 2009 (UTC)

May be one could state that a federal holiday doesn't mean that you don't have to work. A list of days where people don't have to work due to public holiday would be nice.

There would be no way to list that, since private employers are not required to close on any days. Some may choose to close on most or all federal holidays, some may choose to remain open. Most professional jobs are closed New Years, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, which are often called the "big six" holidays. Some might also close on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Some might add some of the other federal holidays, most commonly Martin Luther King Day, or Presidents Day. If a fixed date holiday falls on a Sunday, most private businesses close on the following Monday, but many do not. If a fixed date holiday falls on a Saturday, some private businesses close on the Friday before the holiday, but for some reason, that is less common. A few observe the holiday on Monday rather than Friday. But many businesses do not observe the holiday at all. That can become a real pain, since Christmas and New Years, 2 of the biggest holidays, always fall on the same day of the week of each other, so if you get cheated out of one holiday, you get cheated out of both that year. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.184.64.197 (talk) 03:01, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

PATRIOT'S DAY??

Two different holidays involving three different dates.

Patriot's Day, commemorating the Battle of Lexington and Concord (1775) is observed in Maine on April 19, and in Massachusetts on the third Monday in April. (Maine used to be part of Massachusetts.)

Patriot Day is a day of remembrance proclaimed by the President for observance, by those who wish to observe it, on September 11. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.12.183.189 (talk) 21:01, 10 September 2009 (UTC)

Michael5419 12:41, 19 April 2007 (UTC)I know the flag should be lowered on Patriot(')s Day, but when is it? Sept. 11 or the third Monday in April? I have seen conflicting statements and don't even see it listed as a federal holiday. If it is a state holiday, why is the US flag to be lowered that day? I am confused, but the company I work for is owned by an offshore company and they are insistant that the US traditions, especially the patriotic days, be observed by our company,including flag etiquite. Knowing when Patriot's day really is will be helpful!

Michael5419

Patriots Day and Patriot Day are 2 different holidays.

Patriots Day is the 3rd Monday in April, and is observed only in Massachusetts, and maybe a few other states. It commemorates the begining of the American Revolution, and is also the day that the Boston Marathon is held. It is not a federal holiday, only a state holiday.

Patriot Day is Sept. 11, commemorating the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, on Sept. 11, 2001. It is not a legal holiday, but just a commemoration.

I'm guessing that Patriot Day (Sept. 11) would be the one where you'd fly the flag at half staff, since it is a sad commemoration.

Public holidays in the United States

Concerning Veterans day. Wiki says: "(major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice)". This is not correct.

Source: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/armistice.htm states correctly:

At 5 AM on the morning of November 11 an armistice was signed...The terms of the agreement called for the cessation of fighting along the entire Western Front to begin at precisely 11 AM that morning.

Someone with a better command of the English language might like to edit the article.

130.235.67.86 (talk) 13:42, 4 March 2010 (UTC)

"Service Reduction Day"

Noted and wiki-linked on Public_holidays_in_the_United_States#Legal_holidays_by_states under Maryland, yet doesn't have it's own page, nor does the State page address the day at all. Either there's an alternate name for it that needs a redirect from someone familiar with the area, or it needs an article. A brief Google search seems to point as the phrase being the official reason used to create a 4-day weekend. Perhaps something like Administrative_holiday would be a good catchall for this type of situation? I'm sure there are other instances of official reason being put to unofficial days off (the Friday after Thanksgiving) on the official calendar. (will be double posted on Talk:Maryland as it's something for both groups/pages to possibly consider.) --EvilEdDead (talk) 23:59, 4 April 2010 (UTC)

Public Holidays on a Saturday

The articles states that banks may not observe holidays in a year when they occur on a saturday. Does this mean that when Christmas occurs on a Saturday employees effectively lose a holiday? Dainamo (talk) 22:47, 27 May 2009 (UTC)

Yes, that is correct. Some banks (or other employers) might possibly give employees a personal day in lieu of the holiday, but they are not legally required to do so. 24.184.64.197 (talk) 01:22, 22 September 2010 (UTC)

Hello fellow citizens this is star fouty five my grandfather was born that day —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.73.191.92 (talk) 23:18, 8 December 2010 (UTC)

Super Bowl Sunday

I have removed a duplicate entry from the "Other holidays observed nationwide" chart, since the observance of "Super Bowl Sunday" is already located in the "Non-holiday notable days" section.

• Looks like someone switched them so the Super Bowl is now under "Other holidays observed nationwide" instead of "Non-holiday notable days." I think the second is more accurate and besides, Opening Day for baseball is in the non-holiday list, shouldn't all sporting events be categorized the same? --Gluphokquen gunih (talk) 12:27, 8 November 2010 (UTC)
  • Disagree completely. The Super Bowl is iconic in America, everyone watches it even if they don't like football. The entire nation shuts down during the Superbowl. The same cannot be said for any other sport.SemDem (talk) 17:32, 7 February 2011 (UTC)

Methinks this is as much of a "holiday" as Black Friday, or April Fools' Day, or Saint Patrick's Day, which weren't deleted. If one defines "holiday" to include such things as those three examples, then Super Bowl Sunday belongs there, too. Although I personally have never once observed Super Bowl Sunday, I do know that events must be planned taking into account that a large percentage of the U.S. population will be watching the Super Bowl and spending much of the day in related activities, and so I must place it on my calendar as little as I have any inclination at all to observe it in any way.

Therefore, I propose undoing the last edit, (10:46, 1 September 2011) which deleted it.

Vincent J. Lipsio (talk) 15:27, 1 September 2011 (UTC)

Seeing no discussion of the above post I made five days ago, I'm proceeding to undo the last edit in conjunction with a slight clean-up of Easter.

Vincent J. Lipsio (talk) 22:08, 6 September 2011 (UTC)

Columbus Day in Ohio

Would it be a good idea to add Columbus Day to this list? Or maybe just to Ohio? EDIT ITS ALREADY THERE, JUST ME MAKING A FOOL OF MYSELF AGAIN Jackson413 (talk) 16:49, 27 November 2011 (UTC)

State Sections

Why is each state listed in this article when each state lists essentially the same information? Perhaps a listing of differences from the federal holidays would be easier to use or a table showing the holidays and how they are observed in each state with a section for additional state holidays.

In general the structure of this article seems off to me. Happy to take a stab at a re-write, but wanted to see if there was backing before undertaking the task... Udeezy (talk) 19:43, 19 April 2011 (UTC)

• Agreed (also the reason I came to talk page). (Note: too lazy to sign in, this is User:riking8) 67.170.244.238 (talk) 00:50, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

I would certainly agree with a re-write/re-structure, but I do think it's important to list the differences among the states. For example, Seward's Day and Alaska Day are both official state holidays in Alaska. Oregon law specifically states that every Sunday is a state holiday, which affects holiday pay and union contracts. And several states list Good Friday as official state holidays. If this is an article about public holidays in the US, then the differences should be pointed out. Skiguy330 (talk) 19:39, 14 July 2011 (UTC)

• I agree but as mentioned above some states have there own public holidays (e.g. Nevada Day is public holiday in NV). Therefore a separate list is useful esp. for tourists. The main reason why I came here is that now the Chinese New Year, Emancipation Day, New Years Eve among others added. I'm confident that these are no public holidays in NV. How about other states? Hr.spunkt (talk) 21:51, 23 July 2011 (UTC)

Agreed. A table, such as the ones in the articles for Swiss and German holidays, would be ideal, if it can fit horizontally. It would also serve as an accessible overview of how wide-spread each holiday is.--Tennenrishin (talk) 08:06, 13 October 2011 (UTC)

Would anyone be willing to look at what I'm trying to do at User:FCSundae/Holidays and see what you think? If anyone has better ideas how to organize this information, that would be very welcome. Particularly on Columbus Day. Most American holidays fall nicely into either the "everyone" or "one or two states" categories, but Columbus Day is a tough one. Thanks, FCSundae ∨^☃ (talk) 18:42, 8 December 2011 (UTC)

• I agree. Why list all of the federal holidays for each individual state? If there is going to be a state listing, it should only list holidays pertaining to the states. FCSundae, I like your last table. This would include all state holidays that do not include the Federal holidays. Maybe modify the table where the state column spans multiple rows so you are not repeating every line. I think that makes sense, at least it did in my head. Sweet Pea 1981 (talk) 19:10, 8 December 2011 (UTC)

Hi Sweet-pea-1981, thanks for the input! Would you be willing to take a look at how it looks now? I put in your idea to have the state cells span several rows. The only downside is it makes the table non-sortable, but honestly I'm not sure how useful that is for that particular table (except for me, as I look for overlaps between states to move up).

The first table is, I think, an improvement over the way the article is now, but it does look a little ugly to me. I think this is due to the columns all being different widths, and the random nature of the text/blank cells. Maybe force column widths, and add background colors? Other ideas?

To do: I left off Florida, as I wasn't really sure what to do with it for now. Text explaining the tables needs to be updated to match the current version. The first table needs a way to give the dates of the holidays. Wikilinking is haphazard and mostly random. I haven't put in any of the references. Some explanatory notes are missing. The whole thing needs to be CAREFULLY checked against the current article, as I could have easily missed something, put a "Yes" in the wrong column, etc. Anyone interested in helping out with any of these tasks, or giving ideas/criticism on the tables as a whole, would be very welcome. FCSundae ∨^☃ (talk) 10:08, 9 December 2011 (UTC)

Easter

Not generally observed by most businesses

Er, well, it's always on a Sunday, and I think that most businesses that are generally open on Sundays are generally closed, or at least have reduced hours. Easter is a much bigger deal for most Americans than this article would seem to suggest. 70.20.212.73 06:27, 8 October 2006 (UTC)

Nobody does reduced hours for Easter. It's a "morning holiday" (like Christmas). They're either open regular Sunday hours, or they're completely shut. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.12.183.189 (talk) 20:43, 10 September 2009 (UTC)

Actually, the library at the college that I graduated from (a public, secular, state university) was open reduced hours on Easter. At the time I was a student there, it was normally open from 10 AM - 12 Midnight on Sundays. But on Easter Sunday, it was only open from 6 PM - 12 Midnight. So it's not true that "nobody" does reduced hours for Easter. It might not be very common, but you can't say that nobody at all does it. In general, most statements that say "nobody" or "everybody" are usually incorrect, since only 1 counterexample (in this case, the college I graduated from) is needed to prove it wrong. 24.184.64.197 (talk) 06:10, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

Easter is NOT a regular day in the United States. Nearly every businesses normally open on Sundays are CLOSED on Easter, including retailers and banks. Easter is also a flag day. --Maydin37622 (talk) 03:14, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

Christmas

The bill that establishes December 25th as a federal holiday,actually makes no mention of christmas. Should this be mentioned by the article? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.78.148.113 (talk) 04:32, 18 January 2009 (UTC)

Not quite true: 5 U.S.C. § 6103 (a) designates December 25 as "Christmas Day" --Ahecht (talk) 22:51, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

Definitely not true. It was designed as Christmas Day. --Maydin37622 (talk) 03:20, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

Confederate Memorial Day

I don't know about all of the states, but it seems that most don't actually have this set as an official holiday. State workers go to work, and students go to school. Should this be removed from this list by state? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.122.61.124 (talk) 06:22, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

Memorial Day is a federal and holiday in all 50 states. Nearly every non-retail business and private company are closed on Memorial Day, including public schools and some universities. --Maydin37622 (talk) 03:24, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

Jewish holidays ?!

Jewish holidays should not be on the list of 'nationwide' since it is only celebrated by Jewish people, and they are only 1.7% of the U.S. population, which means that more than 98% of Americans do not celebrate Rosh Hasanah, Yom Kippur or any other Jewish holiday. However, it should be mentioned on 'locally observed'.--Maydin37622 (talk) 03:36, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

Federal & State holidays should be only included!

We should ONLY include federal and individual all state holidays, no others. This article is very confusing and long listed. Good Friday / Easter are NOT regular days in the United States. They are de facto public holidays. --Maydin37622 (talk) 04:00, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

Winter solstice but not summer solstice?

Winter solstice is listed in the "Other holidays observed nationwide". However, summer solstice is not. How come? --71.141.117.11 (talk) 08:04, 2 August 2010 (UTC)

A possibility is maybe because some people with no religious affiliation might observe the Winter Solstice as an alternative to Christmas or Hanukkah, but probably very few people in the US observe the Summer Solstice as a holiday. 24.184.64.197 (talk) 06:14, 31 October 2010 (UTC)

It is unnecessary to include those unimportant holidays on the article, and there are no citations of it either. It is used by weather only. --130.156.1.76 (talk) 17:37, 19 January 2012 (UTC)

Nothing on Bodhi Day in December?

I see nothing on Bodhi Day in December for one of the fastest growing religious groups in teh U.S.

http://www.budtempchi.org/bodhiwriteup.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.174.21.245 (talk) 13:22, 21 October 2007 (UTC)

Buddhism is NOT the fastest growing religion in the U.S., perhaps buddhism is very small minority group in the United States. Most people have never heard of that holiday either, and is NOT celebrated nationwide. --Maydin37622 (talk) 03:27, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

There are many more important holidays observed by more people in America, however not all of them could be included.--130.156.1.76 (talk) 17:39, 19 January 2012 (UTC)

Good Friday / Easter in the U.S.

It is important to be clear and write the importance of Good Friday / Easter holidays being observed in the United States. I added information of which states observe it, and how Easter is observed and the reason for not being a federal holiday. Citations are added to support the facts. --Maydin37622 (talk) 17:34, 19 January 2012 (UTC)

Agree. I like the way there is a topic on the article of it to be clear. --130.156.1.76 (talk) 17:35, 19 January 2012 (UTC)

I like it too. It's important to address how Easter and Good Friday is in America since majority are Christians and most wonder why it's not included on the federal holiday list. Good Job--12.196.11.105 (talk) 17:43, 20 January 2012 (UTC)

Christmas Tradition Wording

"Traditionally celebrates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth." Is incorrect. Traditionally it is the celebration of winter solstice. There were traditions before Christianity, let's lose the bias here. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.12.153.125 (talk) 17:58, 21 April 2011 (UTC)

Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Let's not be ignorant and anti-Christian. --Maydin37622 (talk) 04:02, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

I removed the references to things I believe are not crucial to the topic of the section, which is list the Federal Holidays (and perhaps give a brief synopsis of what they are). Mentioning that some customs are millennia old had little importance (note, I didn't say "relevance") for that. Maybe somebody put that text to make sure everybody knew that not only Christmas takes place on that day? If so, I believe those commemorations/events should be listed in the text (under the Remarks column), or simply insert an hyperlink on "December 25th" to take the interested reader to the main page discussing any other celebrations/events on that day. Note that if something else is listed I do not think the name "Christmas" should stay there. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Somenicedude (talk • contribs) 02:47, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

2013 Public Holidays

What is the purpose of the 2013 Public Holidays section? It seems to be constantly changing, but currently lists a subset of 7 of the federal holidays. If the purpose is to give the federal holidays for the current year, why not place it in the federal holidays section? Horatio (talk) 07:32, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

As it is, it is meaningless and, if placed in the Federal Holidays section then, of course, it should be completed to reflect all federal holidays and would need to be updated every year. My opinion is that the section should be deleted. Vincent J. Lipsio (talk) 10:26, 29 May 2013 (UTC)

Yes, the existing list of Federal Holidays seems sufficient. I'll delete it. Horatio (talk) 02:46, 30 May 2013 (UTC)

error in stating "All current federal holidays have also been made public holidays in all 50 states."

The third paragraph currently begins with the sentence quoted in the Subject. However, the January federal holiday for MLK day is not a holiday in Rhode Island as shown in the article's table "Legal holidays by states", and confirmed at http://www.dlt.ri.gov/ls/holidays.htm . Jfehribach (talk) 19:02, 4 August 2013 (UTC)

Oops. MLK day is a RI state holiday, starting in 2013, per http://sos.ri.gov/library/stateholidays/

---

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Jfehribach (talk • contribs) 19:47, 8 August 2013 (UTC)

Victory Day Second Monday in August

Rhode Island has this holiday. See http://www.dlt.ri.gov/ls/holidays.htm or http://www.dlt.ri.gov/lmi/business/holidays.htm The latter reference lists it as "V.J. Day / Victory Day". Jfehribach (talk) 00:56, 28 July 2013 (UTC)

The table Legal holidays by states should have another column added for Victory Day, but I am not going to do it. I don't feel comfortable that I am able to make the change correctly. I am leaving it for someone else to make the update. Jfehribach (talk) 15:53, 15 August 2013 (UTC)

Washington's Birthday

The section on Washington's Birthday in the state holiday section needs clarification. Few of the states listed as having a state holiday by the name of "presidents day" have actually done so officially. Massachusetts, for example, does NOT have an officially legislated day by that name. The official legal name of the holiday in Massachusetts is George Washington's Birthday. For some years the governor has made a proclamation that declaring a "presidents day." This has as much legal status as the governor proclaiming a "dung beetle appreciation day." Gubernatorial proclamations are NOT law! This means no state whose governor has made such a proclamation alone has an official state holiday by the name "presidents day." Bottom line: Proclamations do not equal law. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.14.134.164 (talk) 06:26, 1 September 2013 (UTC)

Holiday Season

In the article it states that the holiday season runs from Thanksgiving Day to New Year's Day. This probably should be revised slightly. In my personal observations through the years, many people with which I have spoken consider the holiday season to run from Halloween through New Year's Day. If consensus on this is agreed upon, perhaps we should change this statement to reflect this. Erzahler (talk) 22:55, 5 June 2009 (UTC)

The American Christmas or holiday season traditionally begins the day after Thanksgiving. The end is not so neat. Some people finish their holiday season with Christmas Day. Most carry on through New Year's Day. Some, especially Catholics, keep going until the Epiphany. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.12.183.189 (talk) 21:03, 10 September 2009 (UTC)

While I personally have always considered the term "holiday season" to be inclusive of Thanksgiving (the looming specter of Christmas hangs over almost every aspect from what people cook to whom people visit to what their plans for the next day are), we should always go with what's sourced. -- MichiganCharms (talk) 05:01, 11 November 2013 (UTC)

New Year's Eve

I see nowhere that New Year's Eve is the official holiday recognized on New year's Day. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/6103 states that the official holiday is "New Year's Day, January 1" Todd Gallagher (talk) 15:09, 7 January 2014 (UTC)

Orphaned references in Public holidays in the United States

I check pages listed in Category:Pages with incorrect ref formatting to try to fix reference errors. One of the things I do is look for content for orphaned references in wikilinked articles. I have found content for some of Public holidays in the United States's orphans, the problem is that I found more than one version. I can't determine which (if any) is correct for this article, so I am asking for a sentient editor to look it over and copy the correct ref content into this article.

Reference named "ARIS2008":

• From Americans: Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar (2009). "AMERICAN RELIGIOUS IDENTIFICATION SURVEY (ARIS) 2008" (PDF). Hartford, Connecticut, USA: Trinity College. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
• From Religion in the United States: Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar (2009). "American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) 2008" (PDF). Hartford, Connecticut, USA: Trinity College. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
• From Alabama: Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar (2009). "AMERICAN RELIGIOUS IDENTIFICATION SURVEY (ARIS) 2008" (PDF). Hartford, Connecticut, USA: Trinity College. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
• From New England: American Religious Identification Survey. "ARIS 2008 Report: Part IIIC – Geography". Retrieved 2011-04-03.
• From Demographics of the United States: Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar (2009). "AMERICAN RELIGIOUS IDENTIFICATION SURVEY (ARIS) 2008" (PDF). Hartford, Connecticut, USA: Trinity College. Retrieved 2009-04-01.

I apologize if any of the above are effectively identical; I am just a simple computer program, so I can't determine whether minor differences are significant or not. AnomieBOT⚡ 10:54, 19 January 2014 (UTC)

Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Looking at the list of holidays by state, the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. occurs in every single state.

I would suggest listing it in this section: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_the_United_States#Legal_holidays_observed_nationwide

See also reference: http://www.archives.gov/news/federal-holidays.html — Preceding unsigned comment added by Stefek99 (talk • contribs) 12:41, 21 March 2014 (UTC)

External links modified

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Malcolm X Day

I just left a message at Talk:Malcolm X Day about the holiday's status in Illinois, about which I think that article -- and this one -- is misleading. Please comment there if you are interested. Thank you. 66.87.115.175 (talk) 07:18, 29 December 2015 (UTC)

Ohio

The list for Ohio has become ridiculous. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.19.201.245 (talk) 00:31, 28 February 2016 (UTC)

Agreed. An "awareness" day (or week, or month) is not the same thing as a holiday. More to the point, the Ohio Revised Code as cited does not define them as holidays but rather as designated dates for awareness or commemoration, whereas the state holidays (Columbus Day etc.) are explicitly defined as holidays. I have removed all of the non-holiday "awareness" days (and weeks and months). Ed Oppty (talk) 21:14, 13 December 2016 (UTC)

ambivalence of word "holiday"

I think some of the talk about Christmas and Bodhi and Jewish holidays stems from an ambivalence over the word holiday. The main thrust of the article (I take from the lede and the title of the article) is that a holiday is a day mandated by some civic authority that (some) people get off work, with pay. MLK Day, Memorial Day, etc. The other meaning is a day of religious celebration, often involving duties of the people concerned to abstain from work, or to gather for liturgy, etc. In this case the word holiday means 'holy day'. Some overlap - Christmas, e.g, and Good Friday. I think it would be better to abbreviate "Religious and cultural holidays" and send the reader off to a separate article. It would avoid things like the "Christian holidays" section which is a mishmash of irrelevance and error. --Richardson mcphillips (talk) 14:41, 4 April 2015 (UTC)

Completely agree. This article needs a serious rewrite and overhaul. The subject of the article is "Public holidays" in the US, and a vast amount of the content has nothing to do with that. The article is also tediously over length, I've added the appropriate hatnote template for that as well. When I get the time I may start on an overhaul of this mess. Anyone else is welcome to help, or add their comments. — Crumpled Fire • contribs • 04:20, 26 August 2016 (UTC)

I agree on both counts. An overhaul is needed, and a good start would be to split off "Religious and cultural holidays in the United States" with the understanding that certain holidays e.g. Christmas will necessarily appear in both articles. Ed Oppty (talk) 21:49, 13 December 2016 (UTC)

Blue Laws

I do not see where the free association clause of the First Amendment comes into play with these holidays. The article states that the government cannot legally close businesses but I live in a state with blue laws and they certainly can shut down businesses on a specific day. Whether it is the consumption or sale of alcohol, or the time that businesses are allowed to be open, I have never seen a blue law struck down under grounds of the First Amendment. Todd Gallagher (talk) 15:22, 7 January 2014 (UTC)

I think you meant to refer to the Free Exercise Clause? Anyway, according to the article on Blue laws:

Blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, are laws designed to restrict or ban some or all Sunday activities for religious reasons, particularly to promote the observance of a day of worship or rest. Blue laws may also restrict shopping or ban sale of certain items on specific days, most often on Sundays in the western world. Blue laws are enforced in parts of the United States and Canada as well as some European countries, particularly in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Norway, keeping most stores closed on Sundays. In the United States, the U.S. Supreme Court has held blue laws as constitutional numerous times, citing secular basis, even though the origin of the blue laws was for religious purposes. Blue laws are technically classed as "mala prohibita" or "wrong [as or because] prohibited" (as opposed to "mala in se" or "wrong or evil in itself"). Most blue laws have been repealed in the United States, although many states still ban the sale of alcoholic beverages or cars on Sundays. Bergen County, New Jersey is notable for their blue laws banning the sale of clothing, shoes, furniture, home supplies and appliances on Sundays kept through county-wide referendum.

I don't see the connection between blue laws and Thanksgiving and Christmas being government-designated holidays. Easter is essentially ignored in terms of government-designated holidays, and occurs on a Sunday anyway. Thanksgiving and Christmas are largely secular. According to the article on U.S. Federal holidays:

Christmas Day as a federal or public holiday is also sometimes objected to by various sources, usually due to its ties with the Christian religion. In December 1999, the U.S. District Court, in the case Ganulin vs. United States, denied the charge that Christmas Day's federal status violated the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, ruling that "the Christmas holiday has become largely secularized", and that "by giving federal employees a paid vacation day on Christmas, the government is doing no more than recognizing the cultural significance of the holiday."

Calling these holidays a form of "blue laws" is bordering on WP:OR. As such, I'm removing the uncited assertion in the article's lead that Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter holiday designations are a form of blue laws, and that they are in any way "mandated" by government. Editors should not re-insert this claim without reliable, verifiable sources (WP:VERIFY) to back it up. Darkest Tree Talk 17:00, 2 February 2017 (UTC)

Also, as a follow-up, I removed some undue WP:OR-like claims in the article text on holiday observance being a mandate in connection with blue laws. I did, however, leave intact legitimate discussion of how blue laws in some states and counties (which I personally have no experience with) do require the closure of certain businesses or the prohibition of sale of certain goods on certain holidays. Darkest Tree Talk 17:06, 2 February 2017 (UTC)

External links modified

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Split

Content was split to Holidays with paid time off in the United States based on size (>100k) and Template:Too long since August 2016.

The original Template:Too long addition also had some consensus and no objections for 3 years here - MTWEmperor (talk • contribs) 04:17, 1 April 2019 (UTC)

Christmas?

Is Christmas really a national/federally mandated holiday in the United States of America? -- Tjdw 14:58, 19 Apr 2004 (UTC)

• It is. Christmas in the US is largely secular today, and is celebrated by many non-christians. I suspect that it was designated a national holiday in order to give federal employees a day off. Scott Burley 01:42, 4 May 2004 (UTC)

The rationale for making Christmas a federal holiday is that, because so many people would ordinarily take that day off anyway, it is simpler and cheaper to simply give non-essential personnel the day off. 18.26.0.18 00:45, 25 Jan 2005 (UTC)

No, it's MUCH more complicated than that. The elaborate celebrations of Christmas and Easter were the first casualties of the Protestant Reformation. Calvinists - called "Presbyterians" in Scotland and "Puritans" in England and colonial America - were particularly against Christmas. Scotland, for example, did not make Christmas a legal holiday until 1967 because that is when the Church of Scotland (which is Presbyterian) finally stopped opposing the idea. In Puritan-dominated Boston, Massachusetts, the manufacture and sale of Christmas cookie cutters was illegal until 1930!

The Church of England still observed Christmas, as did Roman Catholics and Orthodox Eastern & Oriental Christians; but by the time Clement Moore, Charles Dickens and other leaders of the Christmas Reform Movement came along, the religious aspect of the holiday was all but unknown. Christmas was just a two-week period of drunken debauchery and criminal mischief, as the working poor were allowed to run roughshod over what remained of the aristocracy - smashing their windows, breaking in their doors, stealing their food and liquor, etc.

Clement Moore, Charles Dickens, Prince Albert, and others led the reform of Christmas into a reasonably sedate secular festival, focused on family, charity and goodwill. They began their work at the beginning of Queen Victoria's reign and achieved their objective by the end of it. Along the way, many Protestant countries whose churchgoers had shunned Christmas since Martin Luther nailed up his 95 Theses, began to establish Christmas a secular, legal holiday to encourage family values, social charity, and so on. This, in turn, prompted most Protestant churches to re-think their objections to Christmas and restore it to their calendars as a religious holiday.

By World War I, Christmas was a legal holiday in every state, and most Americans were once again observing it as a religious holiday, too. Exceptions include Church of Christ, Church of God, and Jehovah's Witnesses, who are among the small number of Protestant denominations that still refuse to restore Christmas to their liturgical calendars because they still regard it as a "Pagan" holiday. Some Church of Christ congregations, however, have begun to hold services on Christmas Eve, but they never hold services on Christmas Day.

Internationally, the Netherlands established Christmas as a legal holiday about the same time as Scotland; but Children still get their Christmas presents on St. Nicholas Day, not on Christmas Day. The Scottish members of the British Parliament made Christmas a legal holiday in that jurisdiction in 1967, and it was shortly thereafter restored to the liturgical calendar of the Church of Scotland. Similar to the Netherlands, the Scottish tradition is to give "Hogmanay" presents on the evening of 31 December, not Christmas Day presents.

It should also be noted that, while the religious side of the holiday does celebrate the Nativity of Christ, the actual date of his birth is completely unknown. The date 25 December was chosen because it was, at the time, the Winter Solstice; and there various Roman, Caltic, Jewish, and other celebrations that happened on or around that date to celebrate the birth or re-birth of light and sunshine, etc. So, since Christ is the "light of the world", the choice of the winter solstice was regarded as reasonably appropriate; but the first celebrations of Christmas, by Christians in Egypt in the fourth century, were held in May!

Anyway, the efforts of the Christmas Reform Movement made their way to President Grant's desk in 1870, and he proclaimed Christmas a federal holiday, to encourage employees of the federal government (almost all of whom were male in those days) to devote one special day a year to spending time with their wives and children.

207.12.183.189 (talk) 20:41, 10 September 2009 (UTC)

Two comments for posterity. First, federal holidays are simply the holidays that government organizations (USPS and the like) close. there is nothing that requires anyone to observe them. Second, @207.12.183.189, this is still wikipedia so cite your sources before giving a speech. WikiWisePowder (talk) 20:21, 30 January 2016 (UTC)

Federal law does not require paid vacations or holidays, but state and/or local laws sometimes do. There may also be individual or union contracts that provide for pay on both of these dates.

References

Calmecac5 (talk) 23:39, 26 August 2020 (UTC)

@207.12.183.189, Wow, incredibly interesting information. I would like to see sources for my own personal edification, but don't let comments like WikiWisePowder's comment deter you now or in the future. And besides, you'll never satisfy the wikitrolls no matter how many sources you cite.Darkest Tree Talk 16:43, 2 February 2017 (UTC)

Christmas is a federal/state holiday in the United States. It is the day where least amount of businesses being open. For some, Christmas Day is the only day where the company is actually closed and guaranteed a day off from work. --Maydin37622 (talk) 03:18, 18 January 2012 (UTC)

I have found that some businesses (zoos in particular) close only one day of the year--December 25.Calmecac5 (talk) 23:39, 26 August 2020 (UTC)

Outdated/Misused Source

In the "Holidays with religious significance" section, the citation for Source 45, illustrating the religious composition of the United States, not only misinterprets the data from the source, but is outdated by 9 years (2012).

The article says 15-20% unaffiliated whereas the source states there has been an increase from 15 to 20 over the past 5 years; the article says 73-80% are Christian whereas the source states only 73-78% are, coming off as exclusionary of other religions (and borderline xenophobic, so I'd recommend an ammendment). — Preceding unsigned comment added by Carllz (talk • contribs) 03:20, 19 January 2021 (UTC)