American Holidays
A mixture of cultures in the United
States ensures that there is a holiday every month
of the year. These holidays are either religious holidays or legal
holidays. Holidays such as Christmas and Easter are well known
religious holidays. In the United States, other religious holidays such as Hanukkah
and Yom Kippur were both brought to the United States by Jewish immigrants.
Legal holidays are holidays which
were created by the government. In the United States there are nine
legal holidays: New Year's Day, Independence Day, Veterans' Day,
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday, President's Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day,
Columbus Day, and Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is always the last Thursday of November.
All of the other legal holidays are celebrated on Mondays to enable federal employees to
have a three day weekend.
In unit 2, we learned that holidays
are special days
that help cultures remember and honor their history. In this unit, we will examine
the history of Thanksgiving, President's Day and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s
Birthday. As you read through
this unit, think about the various holidays in your country. How many holidays
are there? What is the history of the various holidays in your country? How do
people celebrate or observe holidays in your country?
Here is some useful vocabulary that help you understand this reading selection.
