What are the holidays in the United States?

There are many holidays in the United States with a dazzling variety of names, such as Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Flag Day, Veterans Day, etc., etc., which is dazzling. However, there are only a few truly important festivals. In order of date, they are New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, Easter, Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

New Year's Day in the United States is a bit quiet compared to Christmas. This is also understandable. For many Americans, Christmas is the beginning of a new year. After the ecstasy of Christmas, the arrival of the New Year seems a bit unnecessary.

Compared with the deserted New Year, Valentine’s Day on February 14th is much more lively. On this day, everyone will be busy sending cards, distributing chocolates, buying flowers, and having dinner with family and friends to express their affection for each other. Of course, the sweetest thing is the couple in love. The happiest person, I think, should be the owner of the flower shop. On Valentine's Day, flowers are sold like crazy.

Easter seems a bit strange to us Chinese, but in the United States, Easter is a very important religious festival, second only to Christmas in importance. Celebrating Easter is, on the one hand, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and thanking him for his sacrifices for mankind. On the other hand, it is to celebrate the arrival of the Spring Festival, when all things begin to recover and thrive after going through the harsh test of winter.

Just as Santa Claus and the Christmas tree are symbols of Christmas, rabbits and eggs are symbols of Easter, symbolizing vitality and fertility. On Easter, cute and exaggerated cartoon bunnies are usually hung in stores. The trees in front of people's houses are dotted with colorful plastic eggs filled with candies, letting them sway gently in the breeze. Families with children take their children to community gathering places early in the morning to taste delicious food and participate in various games. More people go to church and celebrate the festival with many believers.

Interestingly, the date of Easter is not certain. Its date is somewhat complicated, usually falling on the first Sunday after the first full moon after March 20. In the West, Easter can fall on any day from March 23 to April 26. Because this arrangement is so complicated, it is said that it will take 5.7 million years before Easter on the same date can be repeated.

The Independence Day in the United States is equivalent to the National Day in China. On July 4th, local governments often arrange lively National Day parades. Last year, several Chinese friends and I went to watch the excitement. The Fourth of July parade in the United States seemed a little loose but very happy. People of all nationalities, skin colors, ages, and walks of life, wearing the most distinctive costumes of their ethnic groups or the uniforms of their professions, were singing, dancing, or playing and playing in the streets, and they passed by happily. It doesn't matter if there are naughty children who break out from the crowd, dance with their hands and feet next to the team, and follow them all the way, because the police officers don't care anyway.

Halloween on October 31st in the United States is actually what we Chinese call Ghost Festival. Compared with us Chinese who avoid Ghost Festival, Americans seem to like this holiday very much, especially children. October has not even started yet and they are eagerly looking forward to the arrival of Halloween.

In terms of origin, Halloween is also a religious festival. It means that the vibrant summer has ended and the cold winter, which represents death, is coming. On this day, children will dress up as various weird and scary ghosts and knock on neighbors’ doors to ask for candy. Thinking about it, Americans' happy Halloween also has a positive effect on children's psychological growth. It allows children to treat heavy topics like death with an optimistic attitude.

The fourth Thursday in November is Thanksgiving in the United States. On this day, the most unlucky person is the turkey. Because on this day, almost all families will roast a turkey and share it with the whole family. Of course, there was also the luckiest turkey, who, as is American custom, was spared a pardon from the president.

The original meaning of the establishment of Thanksgiving Day was to thank God for his generosity, which made the earth harvest abundant and people could harvest food. The most popular explanation in the United States is to thank the local indigenous Indians for giving them very important help when the new immigrants first arrived in the New World. Today, Thanksgiving has become an important holiday for American family gatherings.

The most important holiday in the United States is Christmas on December 25th. People know the most clearly about the origin and history of Christmas. In the eyes of Americans, the most poetic Christmas is when the whole family sits around the fire and enjoys delicious food on a snowy day. Unfortunately, such a white Christmas is not easy to come across.

American Holidays

1. New Year’s Day: January 1st every year.

2. Martin Luther King Day: The third Monday in January each year.

3． Lincoln’s Birthday: February 1st every year.

4． Washington’s Birthday: The third Monday in February each year.

5. Valentine’s Day: February 14th every year.

6. Good Friday: The Friday of the week before Easter.

7. Easter (Easter/Easter Sunday): The first Sunday after the full moon of the spring equinox.

8. April Fool's Day: April 1st every year.

9. Labor Day (May Day): May 1 every year

10. Mother’s Day: the second Sunday in May every year.

11． Father’s Day: the third Sunday in June every year.