The United States of America is a large country, and it has probably more holidays than England. In the United States of America you have a few holidays that are not (or not very familiar) in England.
Martin Luther King Day
This is a national holiday which honors the American pastor Martin Luther King. The holiday always takes place on the third Monday of January, which is close to his birthday, January 15. This day stands for the social justice, peace and equality, because he fought for these rights.
The first Martin Luther King Day was held on January 20, 1986, and since the year 2000, the holiday has been celebrated in all the fifty states of the United States of America, according to the Martin Luther King page on Wikipedia
But who was Martin Luther King?
Martin Luther King (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) is an American pastor, who is most famous for his leadership in the civil rights movement from 1954 until his death in 1968.
In 1964 he won the Nobel prize for peace, because of his battle against the racial inequality, where he did not use violence. But most people will probably know him because of his ‘I have a dream’ speech. This speech, which is known worldwide, was about the dream that he had. All he wanted was freedom, equality and justice for all the people in the world. He made that very clear in his speech.
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is an American holiday, where the men and women who died while serving the army are remembered. The holiday takes place on the last Monday of May.
Memorial Day once started to remember the soldiers who died in the American civil war (April 12, 1861-May 13, 1865), but since the Second World War, Memorial Day was extended to remember all the soldiers who died while serving the army of the United States of America. This information is from defensiedagen
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a traditional holiday in the United States of America. Families will come together on this day to eat a traditional meal, a turkey. For a lot of people, this day also exists to give thanks for what they have. Most offices and businesses are closed on this day and the day after, black Friday. This weekend, which lasts four days, is the longest paid vacation for the Americans.
The origin of thanksgiving is rather complicated, because there are many different theories.
It is said, that the origin of thanksgiving dated back to the 17th century, to the pilgrims. The first modern thanksgiving was held by them in Plymouth in 1621. On this day, their harvest was celebrated. These early thanksgivings were not a feast, they were a day to go to church. In the late 1600’s, thanksgiving became more common, but it was not a national holiday yet. It was celebrated on a different day in some states or they even had two Thanksgivings each year. The first president of the United States, George Washington (February 22, 1732-December 14, 1799) made thanksgiving a national holiday for the first time in 1789. This information comes from timeanddate.com
Halloween
This is not a holiday, but a festival. This festival is worth mentioning, because it is a popular day in the United States of America. The holiday always takes place on October 31
When it gets dark, many children go out in scary costumes and go from door to door to ask for candy (or fruit). The children will shout ‘trick or treat’, and when they have said that, the adults will give them candy. The festival is mainly for children, but adults try to do their best with a scary house, to scare the children. They often put pumpkins outside and they dress scary themselves, also to scare the children.
Independence Day
Independence Day is a federal holiday in the United States of America, and it is celebrated each year on the fourth of July. Independence Day is celebrated on the fourth of July, because the United Stated of America declared its independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. Each year on the fourth of July, there are fireworks to celebrate their independence and there are a lot of other activities, such as parades, parties or softball games. There is also a national monument, which is associated with Independence Day: The Statue of Liberty. The monument is located in New York City on the liberty island, a special island for the statue.
Holidays in England
In the text above, the most important holidays in the United States of America are discussed. This is not all about the United States of America, so now the most important holidays of England are discussed in the text below.
The Queen’s birthday
In England, now ruled by queen Elizabeth the second, the king or queen has two birthdays: the actual birthday and the official birthday.
Queen Elizabeth’s actual birthday, the day that she was born, is on April 21, 1926. This birthday is celebrated behind closed doors. However, the occasion is being marked by gun salutes in the centre of London. Her official birthday is usually celebrated on the second Saturday of June. on this day, the queen is joined by other members of the royal family at the trooping the colour parade, which moves between Buckingham Palace, The Mall and Horseguards’ Parade as well as a public appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Plough Monday
In some parts of England, mainly the eastside and the northside, the first Monday after epiphany is called plough Monday. This day is very ancient, and it probably came to England following the Nordic Countries invasions, according to the churchmouse campanologist
In the Middle Ages, plough Monday was the day that the young men returned to their working fields. These young men did not actually go to the field, but disguised themselves unrecognizable, and went to the wealthy landowners to ask for money. This tradition went on for centuries afterwards.
Nowadays, plough Monday is only celebrated in certain regions. Sometimes they still go by the houses with their ploughs, but the day is more of a feast now, on which is sung, and danced on some very ancient songs. The people are also dressed in Medieval clothing.
Saint George’s day
Saint George’s day is a day in England on which saint George is remembered. The celebrate it on April the 23rd, which is the day he died. According to the legend, saint George was a soldier in the Roman army who killed the dragon and saved the princess.
Saint George’s day used to be a national holiday in England, but now it is a day celebrated with parades, dancing and many other activities. There are also a lot of flags with the image of Saint George’s cross. These flags are flown off some buildings, especially pubs. Because this day is not a holiday: schools, stores and almost every business is opened.
Who was Saint George?
Saint George was born in the year 280 (date is not known) in what is now known as Turkey. He was a soldier and promoted very quickly in the Roman army, eventually becoming the personal guard of the emperor Diocletian. Saint George was executed for being a Cristian on April 23, 303, and he was buried in Lod, a town in Israel. He was buried there because the lance, where he killed the dragon with, was called Ascalon after the Levantine city of Ashkelon, which is in Israel nowadays.
Guy Fawkes day
Guy Fawkes day, which is also known as the bonfire night, is celebrated on November the 5th. On this day, the people remember the failure of the gunpowder plot in the year 1605.
The gunpowder plot conspirators, led by Robert Catesby, were diligent Roman Catholics who were angry at King James the first for refusing to grant a greater religious tolerance. This lead to them, wanted to blow up the Houses of Parliament during the state opening of Parliament, where they intended to kill the king (James) and all the other members of the parliament. In the end, they did this because they wanted to reestablish the catholic rule in England.
Actually, the plan failed because the conspirators were betrayed. One of the conspirators, who is called Guy Fawkes, was taken into custody the evening before the attack. The other conspirators were either killed resisting or, like Guy Fawkes tried, convicted and executed. In the days after, the parliament declared November 5 a national day of thanksgiving. The first celebration of took place in 1606.