Feriados Americanos

Nova York, Flórida e mais!: 

Nos Estados Unidos, as comemorações de feriados são diferentes das nossas aqui no Brasil. Conheça os feriados que você vai comemorar lá!

 Janeiro

A véspera do ano novo (New Year's Day, January 1^st) é celebrada com festas, fogos de artifício e acompanhando a TV, para assistir a contagem regressiva para o ano novo, transmitida direto de Times Square em Nova York.
O terceiro domingo de janeiro é o dia de Martin Luther King, que comemora a vida do famoso líder do Movimento dos Direitos Civis americanos.

  Fevereiro

O Valentine’s Day é comemorado em 14 de Fevereiro. Nesse dia você mandará cartões às pessoas que você ama, inclusive amigos e família.
No terceiro domingo de fevereiro é celebrado o Dia do Presidente, em homenagem a George Washington, o primeiro presidente dos EUA.

 Março

O St. Patrick’s Day é celebrado pelos americanos de origem irlandesa no dia 17 de março. Nova York, Chicago e Boston são onde acontecem as maiores festas, com pessoas vestidas de verde dos pés à cabeça, celebrando seu amor pela chamada "Ilha da Esmeralda".

 Abril

O dia da Mentira é comemorado em 1° de Abril, como aqui. Nesse dia é comum fazer brincadeiras com os amigos e família.
Na Páscoa as escolas têm uma semana sem aulas, chamada "Spring Break". Lá eles comemoram com coelhinhos de chocolate e não ovos!

 Maio

O Memorial Day é comemorado no último domingo de maio. Ele originalmente homenageava todos os soldados que morreram na Guerra Civil americana, mas se tornou um feriado oficial que homenageia todos os soldados que morreram em guerras, lutando pelos Estados Unidos.

 Junho

Começam as férias escolares e o verão!

 Julho

O dia da Independência é comemorado em 4 de julho, em memória à assinatura da “Declaração de Independência” da Grã-Bretanha no dia 4 de julho de 1776. Esse feriado é comemorado no país inteiro com desfiles, fogos de artifício, piqueniques e churrascos!

  Agosto

Esse é um ótimo mês para comer fora de casa, fazer churrascos e viagens familiares. No final do mês as crianças vão começar a se preparar para voltar à escola.

 Setembro

O dia do trabalho é no primeiro domingo de setembro. Esse é um dia dedicado aos trabalhadores americanos.

 Outubro

O Columbus Day homenageia o descobrimento da América no dia 12 de Outubro de 1492. A maior comemoração acontece em Nova York, onde um desfile enorme e animadíssimo é organizado.
O Halloween é celebrado em 31 de outubro. O nome original “All Hallows Eve”, significa dia de todos os santos. No Halloween acontecem as “travessuras-ou-gostosuras”, onde crianças se vestem com fantasias e vão às casas dos vizinhos pedir por doces.

 Novembro

O Thanksgiving Day (Thanksgiving Day, fourth Thursday in November) é comemorado na última quinta-feira de novembro e se origina dos primeiros peregrinos, que agradeciam pelas boas colheitas. O Thanksgiving é um feriado para reunir a família e se divertir com um saboroso banquete, com muito peru e deliciosas tortas de abóbora.

  Dezembro

Ambos Chanukah (um feriado Judeu) e Natal (Christmas Day, December 25th) são celebrados. As escolas não têm aulas por uma ou duas semanas entre o Natal e o Ano Novo.  

·         Birthday of Martin Luther King, third Monday in January.

·         Inauguration Day, January 20th every four years, starting in 1937.

·         Washington's Birthday, third Monday in February since 1971; prior to that year, it was celebrated on the traditional date of February 22.

·         Inauguration Day, March 4th every four years, pre-1937.

·         Armed Forces Day, third Saturday in May.

·         Memorial Day, last Monday in May since 1971; from 1868 to 1970 it was celebrated on May 30, and was called Decoration Day for part of that time.

·         Flag Day, June 14th.

·         United States of America's Independence Day, July 4.

·         Labor Day, first Monday in September.

·         Columbus Day, second Monday in October (federal holiday since 1971).

·         Halloween, October 31

·         Election Day, Tuesday on or after November 2.

·         Veterans Day, November 11th (except from 1971 to 1977, inclusive, when it was celebrated on the fourth Monday in October; formerly known as Armistice)..

New Year's Day is January 1. The celebration of this federal holiday begins the night before, when Americans gather to wish each other a happy and prosperous coming year. Many Americans make New Year's resolutions.

Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in January. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was an African-American clergyman who is recognized for his tireless efforts to win civil rights for all people through nonviolent means.

Groundhog Day is February 2, and has been celebrated since 1887. On Groundhog Day, crowds gather in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to see if groundhog Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow after emerging from his burrow, thus predicting six more weeks of winter weather.

Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14. The day was named after an early Christian martyr, and on Valentine's Day, Americans give presents like candy or flowers to the ones they love. The first mass-produced valentine cards were sold in the 1840s.

Washington's Birthday is a federal holiday observed the third Monday of February to honor George Washington, the first President of the United States. This date is commonly called Presidents' Day and many groups honor the legacy of past presidents on this date.

Easter falls on a spring Sunday that varies from year to year. Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For Christians, Easter is a day of religious services and the gathering of family. Many Americans follow old traditions of coloring hard-boiled eggs and giving children baskets of candy.

Earth Day is observed on April 22. First celebrated in 1970 in the United States, it inspired national legislation such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. Earth Day is designed to promote ecology, encourage respect for life on earth, and highlight concern over pollution of the soil, air, and water.

National Arbor Day was proclaimed as the last Friday in April by President Richard Nixon in 1970. A number of state Arbor Days are observed at other times to coincide with the best tree planting weather, from January and February in the south to May in the far north. The observance began in 1872, when Nebraska settlers and homesteaders were urged to plant trees on the largely treeless plains.

Mother's Day celebrates mothers every second Sunday of May. President Woodrow Wilson, who issued a proclamation in 1914, asked Americans to give a public expression of reverence to mothers on this day. Carnations have come to represent Mother's Day, following President William McKinley's habit of always wearing a white carnation, his mother's favorite flower.

Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed the last Monday of May. It originally honored the people killed in the American Civil War, but has become a day on which the American dead of all wars, and the dead generally, are remembered in special programs held in cemeteries, churches, and other public meeting places. The flying of the American flag is widespread.

Flag Day, celebrated June 14, has been a presidentially proclaimed observance since 1916. Although Flag Day is not a federal holiday, Americans are encouraged to display the flag outside their homes and businesses on this day to honor the history and heritage the American flag represents.

Father's Day celebrates fathers every third Sunday of June. Father's Day began in 1909 in Spokane, Washington, when a daughter requested a special day to honor her father, a Civil War veteran who raised his children after his wife died. The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 by President Lyndon Johnson.

Independence Day is July 4. This federal holiday honors the nation's birthday - the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It is a day of picnics and patriotic parades, a night of concerts and fireworks. The flying of the American flag is widespread.

Labor Day is the first Monday of September. This federal holiday honors the nation's working people, typically with parades. For most Americans it marks the end of the summer vacation season and the start of the school year.

Columbus Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the second Monday in October. The day commemorates October 12, 1492, when Italian navigator Christopher Columbus landed in the New World. The holiday was first proclaimed in 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Halloween is celebrated on October 31. On Halloween, American children dress up in funny or scary costumes and go "trick or treating" by knocking on doors in their neighborhood. The neighbors are expected to respond by giving them small gifts of candy or money.

Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11. Originally called Armistice Day, this federal holiday was established to honor Americans who had served in World War I, but it now honors veterans of all wars in which the U.S. has fought. Veterans' organizations hold parades, and the president places a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Thanksgiving Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. The holiday began in 1621, when Puritans, who had just enjoyed a bountiful harvest, showed their gratitude to the Native Americans for their help by hosting a feast to give thanks. The Thanksgiving feast became a national tradition and almost always includes some of the foods served at the first feast: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes, and pumpkin pie.

Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is December 7. In 1994, Congress designated this national observance to honor the more than 2,400 military service personnel who died on this date in 1941, during the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by Japanese forces. The attack on Pearl Harbor caused the United States to enter World War II.

Christmas Day is a federal holiday celebrated on December 25. Christmas is a Christian holiday marking the birth of the Christ Child. Decorating houses and yards with lights, putting up Christmas trees, giving gifts, and sending greeting cards have become traditions even for many non-Christian Americans.