Is Today a Federal Holiday in the U.S.?

  • Thread starter cobalt124
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In summary, President's Day is a holiday to honor U.S. presidents. It's a government holiday which means schools and financial institutions observe it, but it's not generally observed by other industries.
  • #1
cobalt124
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We have a desk diary here that says today is a public holiday in the U.S. Is this true? If so, what's the occasion?
 
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  • #2
President's Day
 
  • #3
It's a holiday to honor Ronald Reagan, George Bush, George W. Bush, and others.
 
  • #4
Note, it is a government holiday which means schools and financial institutions observe it, but it isn't generally observed by other industries.
 
  • #5
Thanks all, I was just curious. Unfortunately, I'm at work today.
 
  • #6
This holiday was originally celebrated on February 22 to honor George Washington's birthday. In fact the official name of the federal holiday is still Washington's Birthday, even though it can no longer actually fall on February 22, after it was moved to the third Monday in February in 1968.

The name "Presdents' Day" seems to have come into common use in the mid 1980s by commercial advertisers (sales are commonly held on that day), from the proximity of Abraham Lincoln's birthday on February 12. Several states have a state holiday called Presidents' Day which coincides with the federal Washington's Birthday holiday.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington's_Birthday

It's not a holiday for me, either, drat it.
 
  • #7
Jimmy Snyder said:
It's a holiday to honor Ronald Reagan, George Bush, George W. Bush, and others.

Interesting take. So it only honors Republican presidents??
 
  • #8
Prior to 1986, both Washington's birthday and Lincoln's birthday were celebrated as national holidays. Martin Luther King Day was added to the mix in 1986. Federal, state, and local government had three choices in making Martin Luther King's birthday a federal holiday: (1) Increase the number of holidays to 11, or (2) make some existing holiday a non-holiday, or (3) delete two existing holidays and add yet another new holiday.

No entity chose option #1. The federal government, along with some state and local governments, chose option option #2: They deleted Lincoln's birthday as an official holiday. Many state and local governments chose option #3. They replaced Washington's birthday and Lincoln's birthday with a new holiday, "President's Day", but with a date that more or less coincided with Washington's birthday.
 
  • #9
According to Wikipedia, for what it's worth,

Lincoln's Birthday is a legal holiday in some U.S. states including California, Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, and Indiana. [...] There has never been an annual Federal holiday honoring Lincoln.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln's_Birthday
 
  • #10
You're right. I stand corrected. The federal government simply added Martin Luther King's birthday as a new holiday. Some states did celebrate Lincoln's birthday is a state holiday (I grew up in one). Some of those states combined Lincoln's birthday and Washington's birthday to form "President's Day" to celebrate all presidents.

Washington's birthday is only presidential birthday that is now or has been celebrated as a federal holiday.

Here is a history of federal holidays: http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/Federal_Holidays.pdf.
 
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FAQ: Is Today a Federal Holiday in the U.S.?

What is the significance of U.S. public holidays?

U.S. public holidays are important because they are days designated by the government to commemorate and celebrate significant events or people in American history, culture, and society.

How many U.S. public holidays are there in a year?

There are 10 federal holidays in the U.S., which are observed by the government and banks, and may also be observed by private businesses. However, some states and local governments have additional holidays, bringing the total number of public holidays to 18 days in some areas.

Do all U.S. states observe the same public holidays?

No, not all states observe the same public holidays. While most states recognize the federal holidays, some states may also have their own holidays that are specific to their history or culture.

What is the difference between a federal holiday and a state holiday?

Federal holidays are observed by the entire country, while state holidays are only observed by the specific state. State holidays may also differ from state to state, whereas federal holidays are consistent across all states.

Are U.S. public holidays always on the same date every year?

No, U.S. public holidays can fall on different dates each year. Some holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, always fall on the same day of the week, while others, like Independence Day, have a set date but may be observed on a different day if it falls on a weekend. Some holidays, like Memorial Day and Labor Day, are always observed on a specific Monday of the month.

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