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American Holidays
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Information about American Holidays
Many American holidays are also celebrated in other parts of the world; however, there are several holidays that are specific to America and its history. International students traveling to the United States for the first time may not know what the American holidays are or what they stand for. Following is a list of the most common American holidays and a brief explanation about how they came to be.
Thanksgiving
The first Thanksgiving feast occurred in the year 1863, and the name was coined because it is thought to have been a celebration intended to thank God for saving the pilgrims from the horribly cold winter they had endured. The feast went on for three whole days and fed approximately 53 Pilgrims and over 90 Native Americans. Today this holiday is observed on the 4th Thursday, every November. Americans love this holiday because they get to eat things like Turkey and Dressing, Sweet Potatoes and a lot of other delicious foods.
Memorial Day
Memorial Day was once known as Decoration Day and was originally in honor of the soldiers that perished during the civil war. In the years to come it was changed to Memorial Day, and its commemoration extended to all soldiers who have died defending the country, in all of the wars that have occurred since. This is one of the American holidays that takes on special significance, especially to school children in the United States, because it denotes the beginning of summer.
Labor Day
Labor Day came into existence in the year 1882; however, after the infamous Pullman Strike that occurred in 1894 resulted in many deaths caused by military and US marshal forces, President Grover Cleveland made reconciling with the labor force a top priority and pushed for Labor Day to become a federal holiday. Labor Day was marked a federal holiday, less than a week after the disastrous strike ended. Labor Day is now a state holiday in all 50 states.
Independence Day
This is truly an all American holiday because it marks the day American became independent from the British. The day was July 4th, 1776 and ever since then Americans have been celebrating this holiday by having BBQs and picnics and setting off extravagant fire work displays. It is also known as the 4th of July and on this day it is not hard to find the true spirit of patriotism in the United States.
Martin Luther King Day
Martin Luther King Day was marked a federal holiday in the year 1983 when it was declared so by President Ronald Reagan. Unfortunately, it was not observed for the first time until the year 1986. The very first time it was celebrated by all of the 50 states did not occur until the year 2000. Today it is a holiday that all states observe. The holiday denotes the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. who was instrumental in the civil rights movement by protesting racial discrimination. He was single handedly responsible for changing the face of America and the way minorities are treated here.
There are several other American holidays that international students can learn about once they are living in US but the above mentioned are among the most important, and most widely celebrated.
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