| January 1 (Fixed date) | New Year's Day | June 28, 1870 | Celebrates the beginning of the Gregorian calendar year. Festivities include counting down to 12:00 midnight on the preceding night, New Year's Eve , often with fireworks displays and parties. The bal… |
| January 15–21 (Third Monday) | Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | November 2, 1983 | Honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , a civil rights movement leader who was born on January 15, 1929. Some municipalities hold parades, and since the 1994 King Holiday and Service Act, it has become a… |
| February 15–21 (Third Monday) | Washington's Birthday | 1879 | Honors George Washington , Founding Father , commander of the Continental Army , and the first U.S. president , who was born on February 22, 1732. In 1968, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act shifted the d… |
| May 25–31 (Last Monday) | Memorial Day | 1968 | Honors U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States Armed Forces . Many municipalities hold parades with marching bands and an overall military theme, and the da… |
| June 19 (Fixed date) | Juneteenth National Independence Day | June 17, 2021 | Commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States on the anniversary of the 1865 date when emancipation was announced in Galveston, Texas . Celebratory traditions often include rea… |
| July 4 (Fixed date) | Independence Day | 1870 (unpaid holiday for federal employees) 1938 (federal holiday) | Celebrates the 1776 adoption of the Declaration of Independence , from British colonial rule. Parades, picnics, and cookouts are held during the day and fireworks are set off at night. On the day befo… |
| September 1–7 (First Monday) | Labor Day | 1894 | Honors and recognizes the American labor movement . Over half of Americans celebrate Labor Day as the unofficial end of summer. Roughly 40% of employers require some employees to work on the holiday. |
| October 8–14 (Second Monday) | Columbus Day | 1968 | Honors Christopher Columbus , whose voyages to the Americas from 1492 to 1504 marked the beginning of large scale European colonization of the Americas . The holiday is observed on the second Monday i… |
| November 11 (Fixed date) | Veterans Day | 1938 | Honors all veterans of the United States armed forces . It is observed on November 11 due to its origins as Armistice Day, recalling the end of World War I on that date in 1918. Major hostilities of W… |
| November 22–28 (Fourth Thursday) | Thanksgiving Day | 1870 (as yearly appointed holiday) 1941 (received permanent observation date) | Traditionally celebrates the giving of thanks for the autumn harvest, and commonly includes the sharing of a turkey dinner . Several large parades are broadcast on television, and football games are o… |
| December 25 (Fixed date) | Christmas Day | 1870 | The most widely celebrated holiday of the Christian year , Christmas is traditionally observed as a commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ . It is commonly celebrated by Christians and some non-Ch… |
