In the United States there are, strict speaking, no national __1__
6 R3 ]' X/ {6 G) i' a holiday, for each state must, through legislative enactment or __2__8 V8 X3 N$ B5 m/ |/ F/ V
executive proclamation, appoint the day which each holiday is __3__! e) _! ^5 M; g& M! n5 i% Q7 I- z0 b
celebrated. Congress and the president may establish legal holidays2 L* `& ^' ?: @
for the District of Columbia and for federal employees throughout
4 W! ~1 l4 K/ B* V- U) J the states and territories; and by long custom, days that receive
, ^8 \0 f j* L) A$ r5 Q! X nationwide observation, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Labor __4__
+ Q$ Y7 p |' [ x6 }3 \& \ Day, Independent Day, and New Year’s Day, are uniformly set __5__
. E! W8 Z" h" a) u- t& r. q apart by all states as legal, or public holidays. In 1968, federal __6__# V7 o: u9 c( J6 z) f( z9 f' G6 M" A
legislation established Columbia Day as a legal holiday for the* l; g1 {( J& z' F C ~0 k
District of Columbia and for the federal government beginning at __7__
$ v) F) @& m1 R5 [ 1971. The law also provided begun in 1971 federal employees __8__* A+ v8 g7 r t1 n" f: t" T1 s
would be granted three-days weekends by observing Washington’s __9__$ W$ ~8 U4 J5 ?# r' Y" e
Birthday on the third Monday in February, Memorial Day on the
# h$ V/ d8 @; t" I2 v last Monday in May, Columbus Day on the second Monday in
9 ]: B0 Q% ?; W2 v! @# g. c October, and Veteran Day on the forth Monday on October. By) n: L8 N) M" B- V! c, t7 |* c) X6 `
1971, most of the states also adopted the new dates. __10__ |