Holiday Celebrations

In ancient times, holidays were mainly spiritual events and often associated with the changing of the seasons. The word "holiday" comes from the meaning "holy day." Many of the festivities of ancient holy days have been incorporated into both modern religious holidays and also secular holiday celebrations. Throughout the ages, many holiday celebrations have been added as days to celebrate special occasions or to honor veterans and important people.

Holiday List

New Years eve / day is a time for celebrating the coming new year and time to reflect on the year past.

Groundhog Day is on February 2nd. The legend says that if the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of bad weather. If he doesn't see his shadow spring will be here soon.

Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14. This holiday is for love, candy and sweet notes of devotion.

Mardi Gras is a festival that falls between February 3 and March 9, or 47 days before Easter Sunday. Mardi Gras or "Fat Tuesday" is a wild celebration of excess before Lent (Ash Wednesday) - a time of fasting and repentance.

St. Patrick's Day is on March 17th. It is an Irish celebration celebrating the birthday of Patrick, a priest to Ireland. It has in modern times it has become a day to celebrate being Irish.

Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon of the spring equinox (March 2I). Easter is an ancient holiday of springtime renewal. In the second century early Christians adopted this time as a holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22. It is a day to learn about preserving our environment.

Mother's Day is the 2nd Sunday in May. It is a time to honor and commemorate Mom and motherhood.

Memorial Day is on on May 30. Also know as as "Decoration Day" it is a time to honor those who died in service to our country and to decorate their graves with flags and flowers.

Flag Day is June 14. In 1777 the Continental Congress officially adopted the stars and stripes to be the flag of the United States of America.

Father's Day is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday in June. It is to honor and commemorate Dad and fatherhood.

Independence Day is on July 4th. It celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Labor Day is on the first Monday in September. It celebrates and acknowledges the common worker and their contribution to the prosperity and strength of America.

Halloween is celebrated the 31st of October. It is a very old holiday going back to ancient times when people celebrated the bringing in of the last harvest before winter set in. Modern celebrations include traditions from the early church holiday of All Hallows Eve or All Saints Day to honor the dead.

Thanksgiving Day is the 4th Thursday of November. It is a day intended to celebrate the Pilgrims survival and the help they received from the Indians, who taught them how to survive in the new world.

Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December. It is an ancient festival celebrating the Winter solstice and the coming again of the sun, Yule time. The early Church proclaimed it as the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus. In modern days it has also become a time of family gatherings and festivities.

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Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November;
all the rest have thirty one

Except for February alone,
which has twenty eight each year, twenty nine each Leap Year.