President’s Day is a federal holiday for the America and one of their national holiday!
You ever wandered what America is celebrating on this day? Let’s find out together!
- President’s Day is a celebration of George Washington’s Birthday
- It is a United States federal holiday
- It is celebrated on the third Monday of February in honor of George Washington
- George Washington is the first President of the United States
- He was born on February 22, 1732
- Since the Uniform Federal Holidays Act of 1971, its observance can occur between February 15 and February 21 inclusive
- Colloquially, the day is also now widely known as Presidents’ Day
- It is often an occasion to honor the incumbent president and all persons who have served as president
- Not just George Washington
- The day is a state holiday in most states
- There are many official names
- They include Washington’s Birthday, Presidents’ Day, President’s Day, and Washington’s and Lincoln’s Birthday
- Depending upon the specific law, the state holiday might officially celebrate Washington alone
- Or Washington and Abraham Lincoln (whose birthday is February 12)
- Or some other combination of U.S. presidents (such as Washington and the third president Thomas Jefferson, who was born in April)
- Lincoln’s birthday, February 12, was never a federal holiday
- Nearly half of the state governments have officially renamed their Washington’s Birthday observances as “Presidents’ Day”, “Washington and Lincoln Day”, or other such designations
- In historical rankings of Presidents of the United States Lincoln and Washington are frequently, but not always, the top two presidents
- However, “Presidents’ Day” is not always an all- inclusive term
- It might refer to only a selection of presidents
- Because “Presidents’ Day” is not the official name of the federal holiday there is variation in how it is rendered
- Both colloquially and in the name of official state holidays
- When used with the intention of celebrating more than one individual, the form “Presidents’ Day” was usual in the past
- In recent years, as the use of attributive nouns has become more widespread
- The form “Presidents Day” has become more common
- The Associated Press Stylebook, most newspapers and some magazines use this form
- “President’s Day” as an alternate rendering of “Washington’s Birthday”
- Or for the purpose of commemorating the presidency as an institution
- This is a proper use of a possessive
- It is the legal spelling in eight states
- But it is a misspelling if meant to refer to more than one president
- It depends on where the apostrophe is
- Several states honor presidents with official state holidays that do not fall on the third Monday of February
- In Massachusetts, the state officially celebrates “Washington’s Birthday” on the same day as the Federal holiday
- State law also directs the governor to issue an annual “Presidents Day” proclamation on May 29
- May 29 is John F. Kennedy’s birthday
- With that they honor the presidents with Massachusetts roots: Kennedy, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, and Calvin Coolidge
- In California, Connecticut, Missouri, and Illinois, Washington’s Birthday is a federal holiday
- Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is still a state holiday
- It falls on February 12 regardless of the day of the week
- In New Mexico, Presidents’ Day, at least as a state- government paid holiday, is observed on the Friday following Thanksgiving
- In Georgia, Presidents’ Day, at least as a state- government paid holiday, is observed on Christmas Eve
- It is observed on the prior Thursday if Christmas falls on Saturday
- Or it is observed on the prior Friday if Christmas falls on a Sunday
- If December 24 is a Wednesday, then this holiday is observed on Friday December 26
- Similarly, in Indiana, Washington’s Birthday is observed on Christmas Eve
- Or the day preceding the weekend if Christmas falls on Saturday or Sunday
- While Lincoln’s Birthday is the day after Thanksgiving
- George Washington was born on February 11, 1731 at his parents’ Pope’s Creek Estate near Colonial Beach in Westmoreland County, Virginia
- By the mid- 1980s, with a push from advertisers, the term “Presidents’ Day” began its public appearance
- In Washington’s adopted hometown of Alexandria, Virginia, celebrations are held throughout February
- An early draft of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act would have renamed the holiday “Presidents’ Day” to honor the birthdays of both Washington and Lincoln
- This would explain why the chosen date falls between the two
- This proposal failed in committee
- The bill was voted on and signed into law on June 28, 1968, keeping the name “Washington’s Birthday”
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