January 1, 2019: New Year’s Day
New Year’s Day is on January 1 in the U.S. It’s almost universally a day off from work, and in the U.S. closed stores, gas stations, and other businesses are common sights come January 1. It’s preceded by some of the largest celebrations in the nation and, weary from being up all night enjoying the parties, Americans tend to take it easy on this day!
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in the United States are both regarded as holidays, though only New Year’s Day is an official one. The holiday kicks off late on New Year’s Eve when people go out to celebrate in style. This holiday is marked by fancy parties and plenty of parades and other events.
January 21, 2019: Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. (US)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is held on the third Monday in January every year in the United States. This holiday is dedicated to the slain civil rights leader who advocated non-violent action as a way to reform discriminatory laws in the United States.
February 3, 2019: Super Bowl
This is an annual event that’s the championship game in the National Football League (NFL).
February 14, 2019: Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is a very popular holiday in the United States. It’s centered on romance, and is a heavily commercialized holiday as well. During this time of year, married couples, partners, and sweethearts are encouraged to go out to dinner, spend some romantic time together, and generally acknowledge the importance of one another in each other’s lives. This holiday is celebrated on February 14 every year.
February 18, 2019: Presidents’ Day (US)
US Presidents’ Day is typically a celebration of George Washington’s (the first U.S. President’s) birthday. However, it has come to be a broader celebration in which Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is also celebrated; some states even use this holiday to observe U.S. Presidents in a more general sense.
March 17, 2019: St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day is one of the most popular United States holidays. It combines a celebration of Irish culture with a great excuse to get out, let loose, and have some fun. It has been celebrated since the eighteenth century, making it one of the most enduring holidays in the United States. It’s celebrated in mid-March.
Irish-Americans have contributed much to the United States, and St. Patrick’s Day, to a large extent, is about celebrating that. St. Patrick’s Day is also about celebrating the culture from which Irish-Americans come.
March 19, 2019: March Madness (US)
For fans of basketball, March Madness begins March 17 and goes until early April. During this time, numerous men’s and women’s college basketball teams aim to claw their way to the top - in this case, it means they can’t lose a single game. It’s similar to the Super Bowl, but doesn’t tend to gain as much hype.
April 1, 2019: April Fools’ Day
April Fools’ Day is one of the most beloved holidays in the United States. Its lighthearted nature is part of what makes it so popular.
The events associated with April Fools’ Day aren’t officially organized and are often not observed intentionally. This is a holiday when just about everybody gets a prank or two played on them in the United States.
Americans generally celebrate April Fools’ Day by looking for any opportunity they can find to play a prank on their friends. In fact, this is really the only point of the entire holiday. April Fools’ Day is not marked by parades, speeches, or other events. This holiday is all about fun!
April 21, 2019: Easter Sunday
Easter Sunday in the United States is among the most important religious holidays in the nation. There are also secular events held around this holiday and, in some cases, families celebrate traditions other than the Christian one (such as hiding Easter eggs, dying eggs, or going out for a picnic). For Christians, the holiday is centered on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Churches hold special events during Easter weekend.
April 22, 2019: Earth Day
Earth Day is a worldwide celebration that started in the United States. In 1970, a U.S .senator named Gaylord Nelson held what is considered to be the first Earth Day celebration. Today it’s international, but particularly important in the United States. It’s all about educating people about and celebrating the importance of the natural environment and working to preserve it.
May 4, 2019: Star Wars Day
Star Wars is one of the most iconic films ever made, and certainly has a strong and dedicated fan base. So of course it has its own day: May 4th! People love a good play on words, so naturally the phrase “May the Fourth be with You,” is often exchanged on this day.
May 12, 2019: Mother’s Day (US)
Mother’s Day is held on the second Sunday in May of every year. It’s one of the most important commercial holidays in the nation. The holiday is over one-hundred years old and was officially declared a federal holiday in 1914. Originally, the holiday was celebrated by hanging a flag to recognize the mothers who had a child who died in war. Today, it has no association with war whatsoever.
Mother’s Day is, just as the name implies, a celebration of everything to do with mothers. It’s common for people to buy expensive gifts for their mothers or, at the very least, to send them a card showing their appreciation.
May 18, 2019: Armed Forces Day (US)
Essentially, Armed Forces Day is a day to honor those who are serving, or have served, in any part of the military. In the United States, it is used to honor those who are still serving.
June 14, 2019: Flag Day (US)
Flag Day is really two celebrations in one: 1.) A celebration of the day the U.S. Flag became official (June 14, 1777) and 2.) A celebration of U.S. Army Birthdays.
June 16, 2019: Father’s Day (US)
Father’s Day is a relatively recent holiday in the United States, having come into existence in 1972. It’s celebrated on the third Sunday of June every year. Though it’s not as commercially important as Mother’s Day, it’s equally important to many families.
Father’s Day is all about showing fathers appreciation for what they do, for acknowledging the role of fathers in children’s lives, and, in many cases, simply for making an excuse to hang out with one’s dad.
July 4, 2019: Fourth of July (Independence Day)
The Fourth of July is also known as Independence Day. It commemorates the signing of The Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. Think of it as America’s birthday!
Americans kick up their heels on this holiday in many ways, but people mostly go to picnics and barbecues. It’s also a day to be patriotic, so you’ll often see the American flag and people dressed in red, white, and blue.
Parades are another common sight on the Fourth of July, especially during the daytime.
September 2, 2019: Labor Day (US)
Labor Day celebrates the American worker. Labor Day is celebrated nationwide in the U.S. on the first Monday in September. It’s been celebrated since 1894 at the federal level, and it’s the only U.S. federal holiday dedicated to American workers. The holiday arose from a time of political crises in the U.S., and partially in reaction to a particularly bloody strike.
September 19, 2019: International Talk Like a Pirate Day
International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a parodic holiday, meaning it’s a silly holiday that was created in 1995 to be celebrated on September 19. Everyone in the world is encouraged to talk like a pirate.
October 14, 2019: Columbus Day
Columbus Day celebrates the day that Christopher Columbus first arrived in the Americas. The holiday is celebrated on October 12 and, in some cities, there are very large parades and many other events. It’s particularly popular in U.S. cities with large Italian populations, though it’s celebrated nationwide.
October 31, 2019: Halloween
Halloween is a time for celebration in the USA. It’s become the second most popular holiday in the nation over the years. Halloween is known for its oftentimes scary costumes, elaborate parties and events, horror film festivals, and its many Gothic trappings. This holiday was a latecomer to the U.S., not really becoming popular until the early twentieth century. Today, it’s one of the most anticipated holidays in the USA!
People in the USA typically carve pumpkins into scary jack o’ lanterns, decorate their houses to look as creepy as possible, and wear elaborate costumes to celebrate this holiday.
November 5, 2019: Election Day (US)
The Tuesday after the first Monday in November marks Election Day in the United States. Election Day isn’t a national holiday but people are required to be let off of work for a certain amount of time so that they can participate in the election. When people talk about Election Day, they’re usually talking about the election for federal offices in the United States.
November 11, 2019: Veterans Day (US)
Since 1919, November 11 has been a national holiday in the United States. Originally called “Armistice Day,” Veterans Day commemorates the men and women who served in America’s armed forces. This holiday is marked by parades, educational events, and gatherings at memorials to fallen soldiers.
The holiday was originally specific to the ending of World War I, but it became Veterans Day in 1954.
November 21, 2019: World Television Day
Similar to various other holidays around the world, World Television Day is designed to be a celebration of the type of connectedness that television has offered the world.
November 28, 2019: Thanksgiving Day (US)
In the United States, Thanksgiving Day is usually celebrated with a large feast eaten alongside family and even close friends. What started as a simple “thanksgiving” for a good harvest in the 1600s, has become an annual holiday on which to be thankful and show gratitude for the good things in one’s life.
December 24, 2019: Christmas Eve
This is the day before Christmas Day, and is heavily celebrated nearly as much as Christmas Day is itself. It’s often celebrated while waiting for Christmas to arrive, and many families have “Christmas Eve traditions,” which are special things they do each year on that day. This ranges from opening a single present before Christmas, to leaving shoes out for Santa’s elves to fill with goodies. Further, many Christian churches hold candlelight services on this night.
December 25, 2019: Christmas
Christmas Day is celebrated on December 25 in the United States. Though it’s a religious holiday for Christians, it’s also a popular holiday for non-Christians, as well. Parades, gift-giving, holiday displays, and lights galore mark the arrival of Christmas in the United States. It’s a federal holiday and is observed by every U.S. state.
Hi ASOSA,
Glad to hear that you enjoyed our lesson!
In case of any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Cristiane
Team EnglishClass101.com