In the United States there are, strict speaking, no national __1__
6 B8 ^0 ?" T) d" Y) Y" Z$ R# _ holiday, for each state must, through legislative enactment or __2__
% k, p( r! [8 E executive proclamation, appoint the day which each holiday is __3__
6 C" D1 v. y! x a9 U celebrated. Congress and the president may establish legal holidays
+ V! l6 w, a6 R) L& _2 P+ K& t( R for the District of Columbia and for federal employees throughout
' Z1 b/ G' y* G/ S/ l5 h the states and territories; and by long custom, days that receive- _5 a2 w0 `9 q
nationwide observation, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, Labor __4__
& s4 r5 u( v9 ?& D% Q; N# W Day, Independent Day, and New Year’s Day, are uniformly set __5__7 T! U5 p0 Q5 ^+ I1 m
apart by all states as legal, or public holidays. In 1968, federal __6__
, f9 _7 C; [7 T8 t5 S% l9 n3 T' I6 c legislation established Columbia Day as a legal holiday for the7 S2 a- B( ^% {; A' t4 h" q# I+ v
District of Columbia and for the federal government beginning at __7__2 [! {7 z( c; I' H0 i' F" O
1971. The law also provided begun in 1971 federal employees __8__% G3 G& L' [- ~1 T$ f; w3 C- ^$ p
would be granted three-days weekends by observing Washington’s __9__
/ N" X% u4 ]6 n Birthday on the third Monday in February, Memorial Day on the
5 }+ {- a3 |; ?5 N last Monday in May, Columbus Day on the second Monday in, @5 L: E. r. l2 X' y4 i
October, and Veteran Day on the forth Monday on October. By
& O; Z' P/ c- i! a 1971, most of the states also adopted the new dates. __10__ |