In the United States, a federal holiday is an authorized holiday which has been recognized
by the US government.
Every year on a US federal holiday, non-essential federal government offices are closed, and
every federal employee is paid for the holiday.
Private-sector employees required to work on a legal holiday may receive holiday pay
in addition to their ordinary wages.
Federal holidays are designated by the United States Congress in Title V of the United States
Code.
Congress has authority to create holidays only for federal institutions and employees,
and for the District of Columbia.
However, as a general rule other institutions, including banks, post offices, and schools,
may be closed on those days.
In various parts of the country, state and city holidays may be observed in addition
to the federal holidays.
List of Federal Holidays Most of the eleven U.S. federal holidays are
also state holidays.
A holiday that falls on a weekend is usually observed on the closest weekday.
The official names came from the laws that define holidays for federal employees.
New Year's Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day, and Christmas are observed on the same
calendar date each year.
Holidays that fall on a Saturday are observed by federal employees who work a standard Monday
to Friday week on the previous Friday.
Federal employees who work on Saturday will observe the holiday on Saturday; Friday will
be a regular work day.
Holidays that fall on a Sunday are observed by federal workers the following Monday.
The other holidays always fall on a particular day of the week.
Although many states recognize most or all federal holidays as state holidays, Federal
law cannot compel them to do so.
Furthermore, states can recognize other days as state holidays.
As an example, the State of Texas recognizes all federal holidays except Columbus Day,
and in addition recognizes the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and the day after
Christmas as state holidays.
Furthermore, Texas does not follow the federal rule of closing either the Friday before if
a holiday falls on a Saturday, or the Monday after if a holiday falls on a Sunday, but
does have "partial staffing holidays" and "optional holidays".
Private employers also cannot be required to observe federal or state holidays, the
key exception being federally-chartered banks.
Some private employers, often by a union contract, pay a differential such as time-and-a-half
or double-time to employees who work on some federal holidays.
However, most non-unionized private sector employees only receive their standard pay
for working on a federal holiday if it is not a designated holiday at their company.
Former federal holidays
In 1975, Victory Day, also called "VJ Day" and "Victory over Japan Day" was abolished
after being in place since 1948.
According to this article and other sources, some claim the holiday to be "racist" and
generally encourages "hate" against Japanese Americans, and for that matter, other races
from Asia.
Also, the fact that an atomic bomb was used to end the war with Japan is also cause for
its abolition.
Today, only the U.S. state of Rhode Island still officially observes this day with public
offices and schools being closed.
Legal holidays due to presidential proclamation
Federal law also provides for the declaration of other public holidays by the President
of the United States.
Generally the president will provide a reasoning behind the elevation of the day, and call
on the people of the United States to observe the day "with appropriate ceremonies and activities."
Examples of Presidentially-declared holidays were the days of the funerals for former Presidents
Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford; federal government offices were closed and employees given a
paid holiday.
Controversy, criticism, and social views Some people have objected to honoring Martin
Luther King, Jr. and Christopher Columbus with holidays.
In particular, Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina opposed the creation of Martin Luther
King Day.
Columbus Day
Wide protests by the Native American community as well as some Italian Americans support
the abolition of Columbus Day, mainly due to its ideology in "forcefully" conquering
and converting whole populations with another and encouraging "imperialism" and "colonization.
Glenn Morris of the Denver Post wrote that Columbus Day "... is not merely a celebration
of Columbus the man; it is the celebration of a racist legal and political legacy - embedded
in official legal and political pronouncements of the U.S. - such as the Doctrine of Discovery
and Manifest Destiny."
Proposed federal holidays Many proposed federal holidays have come up
over time.
According to an article from CBS, federal holidays are generally "expensive" and they
only allow federal workers to take the day off.
As the U.S. federal government is a large employer, the holidays are expensive.
If a holiday is controversial, opposition will generally cause bills that propose such
holidays to die.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, for example, was one that took much effort to pass.
And once it did pass, it took more effort for all states to eventually recognize it.
The following list is an example of holidays that have been proposed and have reasons why
they are not observed at the federal level today.
Some of these holidays are observed at the state level.
See also
List of observances in the United States by presidential proclamation
Public holidays in the United States References
External links Federal Holidays: Evolution and Application,
CRS Report for Congress, 98-301 GOV, updated February 8, 1999, by Stephen W. Stathis
Northern District of California Court Information United States Code: Federal Holidays
Department of Commerce Federal Holiday Calendar Time.com
Official US Federal Holiday calendar