New Year's Day

This holiday is celebrated in all the states on January, 1. New Year's Day has been celebrated since Roman Times, when sacrifices were given to Janus, the two-faced Roman deity who looked back on the past and forward to the future.

Lincoln's Birthday

Abraham Lincoln brought the country through the Civil War. It's a legal holiday in many states, This day was first celebrated in Washington, D.C, in February, 1866.

St. Valentine's Day

It's celebrated on February, 14. This day is the festival of two third-century martyrs, both named St. Valentine. Nobody knows why this day is associated with lovers.

Washington's Birthday

George Washington was the country's first president. His birthday is celebrated as a legal holiday in every state of the Union, the District of Columbia and all territories.

Shrove Tuesday

Falls the day before Ash Wednesday and marks the end of the carnival season.

Ash Wednesday

It's the first day of the Lenten season, which lasts 40 days.

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, has been honored in America since the first days of the na­tion. There are many dinners and meetings, and the parade is held on Fifth Avenue in New York every year on St. Patrick's Day.

Palm Sunday

It's observed the Sunday before Easter to commemorate the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

Good Friday

This day commemorates the Crucifixion – (распятие Христа).

Easter Sunday

This holiday is observed in all Christian churches. Easter commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus. It is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon which occurs on the next day after March 21 and is celebrated between March 22 and April 25 inclusive.

Mother's Day

This holiday is celebrated on the second Sunday in May, as it was proposed by Anna Jarvis of Phil­adelphia in 1907.

Memorial Day

This day honors American soldiers killed in wars. There are many parades on Memorial Day. Memorial Day, which comes on the last Monday in May, is also the unofficial beginning of the summer vacation season. On Memorial Day, many people go to the beach.

Flag Day

This day commemorates the flag of the United States of America and is celebrated on June 4

Father's Day

It is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. It was first observed on June 19, 1910.

Independence Day

On July 4, 1776, the American colonies declared their independence from Britain. Many families celebrate the Fourth of July by having picnics and, at night, watching fireworks.

Labour Day

This day is celebrated on the first Monday in September in all states and territories. Labour Day was first celebrated in New York in 1882. It honors the American worker. Just as Memorial Day means the beginning of summer, Labour Day marks the end of summer. For many students, the school year starts the day after Labour Day.

Columbus Day

It's a legal holiday in many states. It commemo­rates the discovery of America by Columbus in 1492. As Columbus was Italian, working for Spain, Columbus Day is especially important for many Italian-Americans and Hispanic-Americans.

Hallowe'en

This holiday on October 31 is not an official one, it is a very special day. It is traditionally associated in some countries with old customs such as telling ghost stories, bonfires and so on. This is the way the Celts welcomed the beginning of winter.

Election Day

Since 1845, by Act of Congress, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November is the date for choosing Presidential electors. State elections are also held on this day.

Veterans' Day

This holiday honors all men and women who have served America in its armed forces.

Thanksgiving

This holiday is observed nationally on the fourth Tuesday in November by Act of Congress in 1941. Most Americans believe that the holiday dates back to the day of thanks ordered by Governor Bradford of Plymouth Colony in New England in 1621, but scholars say that the day of thanks is celebrated from ancient times.

Christmas

The most widely celebrated holiday of the Christian year, Christmas is observed as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus. Christmas customs are centuries old. Use of such plant as a holly comes front the ancient belief that such plants blossomed at Christmas. Comparatively recent is the Christmas tree, first set up in Germany in the 17th century and the use of candles on trees developed from the belief that candles appeared by miracle on the trees at Christmas.

FACT FILE

Do you know?

1. There are some federal public holidays in the USA. These are Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Christmas, New Year’s Day. On these days schools, banks, all offices are closed.

2. Independence Day is also very important holiday because it celebrates independence of the United States from Great Britain and a real founding it as a country. It is celebrated on the fourth of July.

3. One of the noisiest and most crowded New Year’s celebrations takes place in New York City at Times Square where people gather to watch the clock on Times Square Tower herald another year.

4. The terms «melting pot» and «salad bowl» mean that the US is a country of immigrants who work together as Americans while retaining their ethic identities.

5. The most famous American rock-and-roll star was Elvis Priestley. He lived in Memphis, Tennessee.

6. The continental US is divided into four times zones.

7. The best movie actors and actresses are awarded each year with Oscar or Academy Award in the USA.

8. The highest tree in the world grows in the USA in California. It is called «redwood» or «sequoia».

9. The smallest US state is Rhode Island.

10. The nickname of the flag of the USA is the Stars and Stripes. 50 stars = 50 states; 13 stripes = 13 original colonies.

11. The longest serving US President is Franklin D.Roosevelt. He served as president 12 years and 39 days.

12. The Statue of Liberty was presented to the USA by France. The occasion was 100-year anniversary of the Franco-American alliance during the American Revolutionary War in 1886.

13. Alaska once belonged to Russia and Sitka was its capital. The USA bought Alaska from Russia in 1867.There are many Russian belongings in Sitka.

14. In 1969, astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon. The name of the spaceship was Apollo II.

15. John F. Kennedy was the youngest man, the wealthiest, and the first Catholic ever elected president. He was shot to death in Dallas, Texas in 1963.

16. The famous black fighter for defacto desegregation of races in the United States was Dr. Martin Luther King. In 1964 he received the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1968 he was assassinated. In 1983 his birthday became a national holiday. On the 3d Monday in January, many Americans remember Martin Luther King.

17. The author f the popular books about the boy Harry Potter is Joan K. Rowling.

18. In Philadelphia, you can touch Liberty Bell, which was rung after the Declaration of Independence was read. The bell cracked when it was rung on George Washington’s birthday in 1846.

19. The lowest point in North America in California is in Death Valley. It is very hot and dry.

20. Coca-Cola was invented in Atlanta, Georgia. You can see where it was first bottled nearly 100 years ago, at the Biedenharn Candy Museum in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

21. The oldest university in the USA is Harvard University, Massachusetts which was founded in 1636.

22. The motto of the USA is “In God we trust”.

23. The national anthem of the USA is “the Star – Sprangled Banner”.