Holidays in the us

Each of the 50 states establishes its own legal holidays. The federal government, through the President and Congress, can legally set holidays only for federal employees and for the District of Columbia. Most states, however, accept the federal legal holidays. Holidays for all federal offices, most state and local government offices, and many (but not all!) businesses are:

New Year’s Day (January 1)

Martin Luther King’s Birthday (third Monday in January)

Washington’s Birthday, sometimes called “Presidents’ Day”(third Monday in February)

Memorial Day (last Monday in May)

Independence Day (July 4)

Labor Day (first Monday in September)

Columbus Day (second Monday in October)

Veterans’ Day (November 11)

Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November)

Christmas Day (December 25)

Perhaps the two “most American” of the holidays are the Fourth of July - Independence Day - and Thanksgiving. The Fourth of July is like a big, nationwide birthday party. Yet, it’s a party that takes place in neighborhoods, on beaches or in parks, or on suburban lawns throughout the country. Some towns and cities have parades with bands and flags, and most politicians will try to give a patriotic speech or two, should anyone be willing to listen. But what makes the Fourth of July is the atmosphere and enjoyment of, for instance, the family beach party, with hot dogs and hamburgers, volleyball and softball, the fireworks and rockets at night (and, often, a sunburn and a headache the next morning). The nation’s birthday is also the nation’s greatest annual summer party.

Like Christmas, Thanksgiving is a day for families to come together. Traditional foods are prepared for the feast - turkey or ham, cranberry sauce and corn dishes, breads and rolls, and pumpkin pie. At the same time, Thanksgiving is a solemn occasion, a day to remember the many who are less well off, in America and throughout the world.

The many religious holidays such as Good Friday, Hanukkah, or Ramadan are observed, of course, by the religious, but they have no national, or official legal status.

There are many traditional holidays, observed by a large number of Americans, which are not official. Among these are Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Halloween.

Higher Education in the usa

There is no national system of higher education in the United States. American higher education developed its own pattern by the adaptation of two traditions: the collegiate tradition of England and the university tradition of the continent.

American colleges and universities are either public or private. A public institution is owned and operated by a government, either a state or municipal government. But it does not mean that it is absolutely free. The state colleges or universities charge a fee for tuition or registration. This fee is higher for those who come from outside the state. A private institution receives no direct financial aid from any government, municipal, state or federal. The money used to pay the operating expenses has a threefold origin:

• tuition fees paid by the students;

• money given in the form of gifts;

• the income from invested capital in the possession of the institutions.

Of the nation’s nearly 1,900 institutions of higher learning are state or city institutions. About 1,200 are privately controlled. Approximately 700 of these are controlled by religious groups.

In general, higher education in the USA may be divided into two broad fields: liberal arts (languages, history, science and philosophy) and professional (agriculture, law, engineering, medicine, etc.).

Admission to colleges and universities is by selection the results of SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test). SAT results are not the only items requested by institutions of higher education. Most schools will ask for