Referat American holidays

AMERICAN HOLIDAYS

The USA has no official national holidays, only federal holidays. There are eight major holidays:

- Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday of November : 162 : Puritans with

Mayflower to America; could only survive with the help of amer. Indians;

Martin Luther King Day (third Monday of January): M. L King fought for civil rights for the blacks;

Presidents' Day (third Monday of February): to honor the Presidents

Memorial Day (fourth Monday of May): to honor the dead

- Independence Day (4. July): USA got independent from England in 1 76;

Labor Day (first Monday of September): to honor nations working people;

- Columbus Day (12. October): to remember Christoph Columbus;

Veteran's Day (11 November): to honor the soldiers of the USA;

in addition to this:

Mother s Day (second Sunday in May)

- Father's Day (third Sunday in June)

The USA has many election days because of many levels of government. The most important one is Presidential Election Day, which is held every four years.

The traditional Christian holidays are:

- Christmas Day, the feast of the birth of Jesus,

Easter, the feast of the Resurrection of Jesus,

- New Year s Day (1 1

Valentine s Day 4 February), when you give gifts to people you love

Many ethnic groups like the Jews and the Moslems, celebrate their own observances, too, but these are often no official holidays for all Americans.

Not all Americans, like hospital workers, policemen or fire fighters are free to celebrate holidays. But they often take their vacations in the summer months.