Canada's Labour Day Is Also Celebrated On The First Monday Of September. More Than 80 Other Countries Celebrate International Workers' Day On May 1, The Ancient European Holiday Of May Day. ...

Federal holiday in the United States This article is about the American holiday. For the similarly-named holiday in other countries, see Labour Day. For other uses, see Labor Day (disambiguation).

Labor Day
Labor Day Parade in New York's Union Square, 1882
Observed by	United States
Type	National
Celebrations	Parades, food of different cultures and barbecues.
Date	First Monday in September
2025 date	September 1  (2025-09-01)
2026 date	September 7  (2026-09-07)
2027 date	September 6  (2027-09-06)
2028 date	September 4  (2028-09-04)
Frequency	Annual
Related to	Labour Day

Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements in the United States.[1][2][3]

Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. "Labor Day" was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, which organized the first parade in New York City. By the time it became an official federal holiday in 1894, thirty states in the U.S. officially celebrated Labor Day.[4]

Canada's Labour Day is also celebrated on the first Monday of September. More than 150 other countries celebrate International Workers' Day on May 1, the European holiday of May Day. May Day was chosen by the Second International of socialist and communist parties to commemorate the general labor strike in the United States and events leading to the Haymarket affair, which occurred in Chicago, Illinois, from May 1 – May 4, 1886.[5][6]

History

[edit]

Origin

[edit]

Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, diverse groups of trade unionists chose a variety of days on which to celebrate labor. In the United States, a September holiday called Labor Day was first proposed in the early 1880s.

Alternative accounts of the event's origin exist. Descendants of two men with similar last names claim their great-grandfather was the true father of the holiday.[7]

According to one early history of Labor Day, the event originated in connection with a General Assembly of the Knights of Labor convened in New York City in September 1882.[8] In connection with this clandestine Knights assembly, a public parade of various labor organizations was held on September 5 under the auspices of the Central Labor Union (CLU) of New York.[8] Secretary of the CLU Matthew Maguire is credited for first proposing that a national Labor Day holiday subsequently be held on the first Monday of each September in the aftermath of this successful public demonstration.[2][7]

An alternative theory maintains that the idea of Labor Day was the brainchild of Peter J. McGuire, a vice president of the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions, which was a predecessor of the American Federation of Labor. After a visit to Toronto where he saw parades celebrating labor that May,[9][10] had put forward the initial proposal in the spring of 1882.[4] According to McGuire, on May 8, 1882, he made a proposition to the fledgling Central Labor Union in New York City that a day be set aside for a "general holiday for the laboring classes".[11] According to McGuire he further recommended that the event should begin with a street parade as a public demonstration of organized labor's solidarity and strength, with the march followed by a picnic, to which participating local unions could sell tickets as a fundraiser.[11] According to McGuire he suggested the first Monday in September as an ideal date for such a public celebration, owing to optimum weather and the date's place on the calendar, sitting midway between the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving public holidays.[11]

Labor Day picnics and other public gatherings frequently featured speeches by prominent labor leaders.[12]

In 1909, the American Federation of Labor convention designated the Sunday preceding Labor Day as "Labor Sunday", to be dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.[2] This secondary date failed to gain significant traction in popular culture, although some churches continue to acknowledge it.[13]

Legal recognition

[edit]

The popularity of the event spread across the country. In 1887, Oregon became the first state of the United States to make Labor Day an official public holiday. By 1894, thirty U.S. states were already officially celebrating Labor Day. In that year, shortly after the Pullman Strike, the Congress passed a bill recognizing the first Monday of September as Labor Day and making it an official federal holiday. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill into law on June 28.[14][4] The federal law, however, only made it a holiday for federal workers. As late as the 1930s, unions were encouraging workers to strike to make sure they got the day off.[15] All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the United States territories have subsequently made Labor Day a statutory holiday.[16]

Labor Day versus May Day

[edit]

The date of May 1 (an ancient European folk holiday known as May Day) emerged in 1886 as a holiday for the celebration of labor, later becoming known as International Workers' Day. The date had its origins at the 1885 convention of the American Federation of Labor, which passed a resolution calling for adoption of the eight-hour day effective May 1, 1886. While negotiation was envisioned for achievement of the shortened work day, use of the strike to enforce this demand was recognized, with May 1 advocated as a date for coordinated strike action.[17] In Chicago, that strike culminated in the bloody Haymarket affair of May 4, 1886.[13]

There was disagreement among labor unions at this time about when a holiday celebrating workers should be, with some advocating for continued emphasis of the September march-and-picnic date while others sought the designation of the more politically charged date of May 1. Conservative Democratic President Grover Cleveland was one of those concerned that a labor holiday on May 1 would tend to become a commemoration of the Haymarket affair and would strengthen socialist and anarchist movements that backed the May 1 commemoration around the globe.[18] In 1887, he publicly supported the September Labor Day holiday as a less inflammatory alternative,[19] formally adopting the date as a United States federal holiday through a law that he signed in 1894.[2]

Since the mid-1950s, the United States has celebrated Loyalty Day and Law Day on May 1. Unlike Labor Day, neither are legal public holidays (in that government agencies and most businesses do not shut down to celebrate them) and therefore have remained relatively obscure. Loyalty Day is formally celebrated in a few cities, while some bar associations hold Law Day events to celebrate the rule of law.[20][21]

Unofficial end of summer

[edit]

Labor Day is called the "unofficial end of summer"[22] because it marks the end of the U.S. culture's nominal summer season. Of the 7% of Americans who take two-week vacations, many take their vacations during the two weeks ending Labor Day weekend.[23][24] Many fall activities, such as school and sports (particularly football), begin about this time.

In the United States, many school districts resume classes around the Labor Day holiday weekend (see First day of school). Some begin the week before, making Labor Day weekend the first three-day weekend of the school calendar, while others begin the Tuesday following Labor Day. Many districts across the Midwest are opting to begin school after Labor Day.[25]

In the U.S. state of Virginia, the amusement park industry successfully lobbied for legislation requiring most school districts in the state to have their first day of school after Labor Day, in order to give families another weekend to visit amusement parks in the state. The relevant statute has been nicknamed the "Kings Dominion law" after one such park.[26] This law was repealed in 2019.[27]

In the U.S. state of Minnesota, the State Fair ends on Labor Day. Under state law, public schools normally do not begin until after the holiday. One reason given for this timing was to allow time for schoolchildren to show 4-H projects at the Fair.[28]

In U.S. sports, Labor Day weekend marks the beginning of many fall sports. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) teams usually play their first games that weekend,[29] and the National Football League (NFL) traditionally play their kickoff game the Thursday following Labor Day.[30] The Southern 500 NASCAR auto race has been held on Labor Day weekend at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina from 1950 to 2003 and since 2015.[31] At Indianapolis Raceway Park, the National Hot Rod Association hold their finals of the NHRA U.S. Nationals drag race that weekend.[32] Labor Day is the middle point between weeks one and two of the U.S. Open tennis championships, held in Flushing Meadows, New York.[33]

In the fashion world, Labor Day was once considered the last day it was acceptable to wear white[34] or seersucker.[35][36] The source of the tradition lies in part with the migration of wealthy 19th century New Yorkers back from their summer-home Newport Mansions and accompanying change back from summer clothes.[37] The traditional last day to wear straw hats moved from around Labor Day (September 1) to September 15. In 1922, the Straw Hat Riot broke out due to gangs snatching the hats of men violating this rule in New York City. The unofficial beginning of summer, and the summer fashion season in the United States, is Memorial Day. In the 2020s, some people have approved of wearing white year-round.[37]

There are numerous events and activities organized in major cities. For example, New York offers the Labor Day Carnival, and fireworks over Coney Island.[38] In Washington, one popular event is the Labor Day Concert at the U.S. Capitol featuring the National Symphony Orchestra with free attendance.[39]

Observance dates (1971–2037)

[edit]

Year													Labor Day
1981	1987	1992	1998	2009	2015	2020	2026	2037	September 7 (week 37)
1971	1976	1982	1993	1999	2004	2010	2021	2027	2032	September 6 (common year week 36, leap year week 37)
1977	1983	1988	1994	2005	2011	2016	2022	2033	September 5 (week 36)
1972	1978	1989	1995	2000	2006	2017	2023	2028	2034	September 4 (week 36)
1973	1979	1984	1990	2001	2007	2012	2018	2029	2035	September 3 (week 36)
1974	1985	1991	1996	2002	2013	2019	2024	2030	September 2 (week 36)
1975	1980	1986	1997	2003	2008	2014	2025	2031	2036	September 1 (week 36)

Labor Day sales

[edit]

To take advantage of large numbers of potential customers with time to shop, Labor Day has become an important weekend for discounts and allowances by many retailers in the United States, especially for back-to-school sales. Some retailers claim it is one of the largest sale dates of the year, second only to the Christmas season's Black Friday.[40]

See also

[edit]

• Labor unions in the United States
• United States labor law – US laws on fair pay and conditions, unions, democracy, equality and security at work
• Workers' Memorial Day

References

[edit]

1. ^ U.S. Department of Labor, "Labor Daze – Pride, Chaos and Kegs on Labor's First 'Day'"
2. ^ a b c d "The History of Labor Day". United States Department of Labor. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
3. ^ "Labor Day 2020". History.com. A&E Television Networks. April 13, 2010. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
4. ^ a b c The Bridgemen's magazine. International Association of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Iron Workers. 1921. pp. 443–444. Archived from the original on October 9, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
5. ^ Philip S. Foner (1986). May Day: A Short History of the International Workers' Holiday, 1886–1986. New York: International Publishers. pp. 41–43. ISBN 0-7178-0624-3.
6. ^ Rothman, Lily (May 1, 2017). "The Bloody Story of How May Day Became a Holiday for Workers". Time. Retrieved 2018-03-18.
7. ^ a b Gross, Jenny (September 6, 2020). "McGuire or Maguire? A Tussle Over Who Founded Labor Day". The New York Times.
8. ^ a b "Origin of Labor Day". Cincinnati Tribune (Special Labor Day supplement ed.). September 1, 1895. p. 26.
9. ^ "History". Carpenters' District Council of Ontario. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
10. ^ "Labour day – a holiday born in Canada". Canadian Labour Congress. September 3, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
11. ^ a b c McGuire, P.J. (September 1898). "Labor Day – Its Birth and Significance". The Union Agent. Vol. 3, no. 9. Kentucky. p. 1.
12. ^ McKeever, Amy (September 4, 2020). "Labor Day's surprisingly radical origins". National Geographic. Archived from the original on September 7, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
13. ^ a b McDonald, Hannah (August 5, 2019). "8 Facts About Labor Day". Mental Floss. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
14. ^ "Public Acts of the Fifty-Third Congress of the United States" (PDF). United States Statutes at Large. 28: 96. 1894. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
15. ^ Zagorsky, Jay (August 29, 2017). "Have we forgotten the true meaning of Labor Day?". The Conversation. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
16. ^ "The History of Labor Day". UAW. United Auto Workers. August 30, 2017. Archived from the original on September 17, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
17. ^ Philip S. Foner, May Day: A Short History of the International Workers' Holiday. New York: International Publishers, 1986; p. 19.
18. ^ Sally Kohn (September 1, 2014). Why Labor Day was a political move. CNN. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
19. ^ "Knights of Labor". Progressive Historians. September 3, 2007. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007.
20. ^ Office of the Federal Register (1967). The Code of Federal regulations of the United States of America. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 42–43.
21. ^ "History of Law Day". American Bar Association. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
22. ^ Weil, Martin (August 31, 2019). "Labor Day weekend brings summer to an unofficial close". The Washington Post.[permanent dead link]
23. ^ "Vacations - 2024" survey by AYTM. https://aytm.com/surveys/698670/stat/f374e5d919bc96fd19e9d44e3e9fd20a#charts
24. ^ "Labor Day: The last (and best) chance for a summer vacation". The Washington Post. 31 August 2019.
25. ^ Charles, C.M.; Senter, Gail W. (2008). Elementary Classroom Management. Pearson / Allyn and Bacon. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-205-51071-9. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
26. ^ Freed, Benjamin (25 August 2014). ""Kings Dominion law" still reigns in Virginia". Washingtonian Magazine. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
27. ^ Smith, Max (March 21, 2019). "With repeal of 'Kings Dominion' law, VA schools can now start before Labor Day". WTOP News. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
28. ^ "Commonly asked questions". mpls.k12.mn.us. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
29. ^ Kirshner, Alex (3 September 2017). "Why CFB's week 1 became a Thursday-to-Monday event". SBNation.com. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
30. ^ "Kickoff game now a national event". FOX Sports. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
31. ^ Pockrass, Bob (August 22, 2014). "Sprint Cup schedule: Darlington gets Labor Day weekend back, Bristol moves spring race to April". Sporting News. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
32. ^ "NHRA U.S. Nationals". Lucas Oil Raceway. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
33. ^ "U.S. Open tennis championship". City of New York. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
34. ^ FitzPatrick, Laura (September 8, 2009). "Why we can't wear white after Labor Day". Time Magazine. Archived from the original on March 3, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
35. ^ Bell, Johnathan (May 9, 2011). "An introduction to seersucker for men". Guy Style Guide. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
36. ^ O'Brien, Glenn (December 15, 2000). "Daytime wedding after Labor Day: Is it okay to wear a light beige suit to a daytime wedding after Labor Day?". The Style Guy. GQ Magazine. Archived from the original on January 31, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
37. ^ a b "Fashionistas get ready: It's safe to break out the white clothing". NPR. May 28, 2024.
38. ^ "Labor Day weekend". rove.me. August 11, 2023.
39. ^ "20+ ways to celebrate Labor Day weekend in Washington, DC". Destination DC.
40. ^ "Labor Day Intention Still Holds Meaning". Tri Parish Times. August 30, 2012. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2012.

General and cited references

[edit]

• Green, James (2007). Death in the Haymarket: A Story of Chicago, the First Labor Movement and the Bombing that Divided Gilded Age America. New York: Anchor Books. ISBN 978-1-4000-3322-5. OCLC 494649024.

External links

[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Labor Day in the United States.

• History of Labor Day, History of Artists and Writers Unions, Rare Labor Related Comic Books
• "Labor Day is May 1: Today is a boss's holiday". Jacobin. September 7, 2015.
• "Today Belongs to Workers". Jacobin. September 5, 2016.
• "Labor Day" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.

v t e Federal holidays in the United States
Current	New Year's Day Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Washington's Birthday Memorial Day Juneteenth Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day
Proposed	VE Day (1945) Victory Day (1950) Flag Day (1950) Election Day/Democracy Day (1993, 2005, 2014) Malcolm X Day (1993–1994) Cesar Chavez Day (2008) Susan B. Anthony Day (2011) Native American Day (2013) Patriot Day (2021) Rosa Parks Day (2021)
Related	Uniform Monday Holiday Act

v t e Holidays, observances, and celebrations in the United States
January	New Year's Day (federal) Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (federal) Birthday of Eugenio María de Hostos (PR) Confederate Heroes Day (TX) Eve of Three Kings' Day (PR, religious) Feast of Epiphany / Feast of Theophany (religious) Fred Korematsu Day (AZ, CA, FL, HI, VA) Idaho Human Rights Day (ID) Inauguration Day (federal quadrennial) Kansas Day (KS) Makar Sankranti / Pongal (religious) Robert E. Lee Day (FL) Stephen Foster Memorial Day (36) National Religious Freedom Day The Eighth (LA) Three Kings' Day (PR, VI, religious) World Religion Day (religious)
January–February	Chinese New Year / Lunar New Year (NY, cultural, religious) Vasant Panchami (religious)
FebruaryAmerican Heart MonthBlack History Month	Washington's Birthday (federal) Valentine's Day Birthday of Luis Muñoz Marín (PR) Candlemas (religious) Charles Darwin Day / Darwin Day (CA, DE) Day of Remembrance (CA, OR, WA, cultural) Georgia Day (GA) Groundhog Day Imbolc (religious) Lincoln's Birthday (CA, CT, IL, IN, MO, NY, WV) National Girls and Women in Sports Day National Freedom Day (36) Nirvana Day (religious) Presentation of Our Lord to the Temple (religious) Promised Reformer Day (religious) Ronald Reagan Day (CA) Rosa Parks Day (CA, MO) Saviours' Day (religious) Susan B. Anthony Day (CA, FL, NY, WI, WV, proposed federal) Tu B’shvat (religious)
February–March	Mardi Gras Ash Wednesday (PR, religious) Carnival (PR, VI, religious) Clean Monday (religious) Courir de Mardi Gras (religious) Intercalary Days (religious) Mahashivaratri (religious) Purim (religious) Shrove Tuesday (religious) Super Tuesday
MarchIrish-American Heritage MonthColon Cancer Awareness MonthWomen's History Month	Saint Patrick's Day (ethnic) Spring break (week) Annunciation of the Virgin Mary / Annunciation of the Theotokos (religious) Casimir Pulaski Day (IL) Cesar Chavez Day (CA, CO, TX, proposed federal) Emancipation Day in Puerto Rico (PR, cultural) Evacuation Day (Suffolk County, MA) Harriet Tubman Day (NY) Hola Mohalla (religious) Holi (NY, religious) Lailat al-Mi'raj (religious) Liberation and Freedom Day (Charlottesville, VA, cultural) Mardi Gras (AL (in two counties), LA) Maryland Day (MD) Medal of Honor Day National Poison Prevention Week (week) Nowruz (cultural, religious) Ostara (religious) Pi Day Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Day (HI) Promised Messiah Day (religious) Saint Joseph's Day (religious) Seward's Day (AK) Texas Independence Day (TX) Town Meeting Day (VT) Transfer Day (VI) U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day (36) Trans Day of Visibility (cultural)
March–April	Easter (religious) Good Friday (CT, NC, PR, NJ, VI, religious) Hanuman Jayanti (religious) Holy Thursday (PR, VI, religious) Holy Week (PR, religious, week) Lazarus Saturday (religious) Mahavir Janma Kalyanak (religious) Mesha Sankranti / Hindu New Year (religious) Palm Sunday (PR, religious) Passover (religious, week) Easter Monday / Bright Monday (VI, religious) Ramnavami (religious) Chandramana Uugadi / Souramana Uugadi (religious)
AprilArab American Heritage MonthConfederate History Month	420 April Fools' Day Arbor Day Birthday of José de Diego (PR) Confederate Memorial Day (AL, MS) Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust (week) DNA Day Earth Day Emancipation Day (cultural) Thomas Jefferson's Birthday (AL) Lag B’Omer (religious) Last Friday of Great Lent (religious) National First Ladies Day Pascua Florida (FL) Patriots' Day (MA, ME) Ridván (religious) San Jacinto Day (TX) Siblings Day Walpurgis Night (religious) Yom Ha'atzmaut (cultural, religious)
MayAsian American andPacific Islander Heritage MonthJewish American Heritage MonthMilitary Appreciation Month	Memorial Day (federal) Mother's Day (36) Cinco de Mayo Ascension of Baháʼu'lláh (religious) Ascension of Our Lord (religious) Caliphate Day (religious) Declaration of the Bab (religious) Harvey Milk Day (CA) International Workers' Day / May Day (CA, unofficial, proposed state) Law Day (36) Loyalty Day (36) Malcolm X Day (CA, IL, proposed federal) Military Spouse Day National Day of Prayer (36) National Day of Reason National Defense Transportation Day (36) National Maritime Day (36) Peace Officers Memorial Day (36) Pentecost (religious) Shavuot (religious) Truman Day (MO) Vesak / Buddha's Birthday (religious)
JunePride Month	Juneteenth (federal, cultural) Father's Day (36) Bunker Hill Day (Suffolk County, MA) Carolina Day (SC) Don Young Day (AK) Fast of the Holy Apostles (religious) Flag Day (36, proposed federal) Helen Keller Day (PA) Honor America Days (3 weeks) Jefferson Davis Day (AL, FL) Kamehameha Day (HI) Litha (religious) Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib (religious) Odunde Festival (Philadelphia, PA, cultural) Senior Week (week) Saint John's Day (PR, religious) West Virginia Day (WV) Women Veterans Day
July	Independence Day (federal) Asalha Puja Day (religious) Birthday of Don Luis Muñoz Rivera (PR) Birthday of Dr. José Celso Barbosa (PR) Emancipation Day in the U.S. Virgin Islands (VI, cultural) Guru Purnima (religious) Khordad Sal (religious) Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea (HI, unofficial, cultural) Martyrdom of the Báb (religious) Parents' Day (36) Pioneer Day (UT) Puerto Rico Constitution Day (PR)
July–August	Summer vacation Tisha B'Av (religious)
August	American Family Day (AZ) Barack Obama Day in Illinois (IL) Bennington Battle Day (VT) Dormition of the Theotokos (religious) Eid-e-Ghadeer (religious) Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Lord Jesus (religious) Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (religious) Hawaii Admission Day / Statehood Day (HI) Krishna Janmashtami (religious) Lammas (religious) Lyndon Baines Johnson Day (TX) Naga Panchami (religious) National Aviation Day (36) Paryushana (religious) Raksha Bandhan (religious) Transfiguration of the Lord (religious) Victory Day (RI) Women's Equality Day (36)
SeptemberProstate Cancer Awareness MonthChildhood Cancer Awareness MonthGospel Music Heritage Month	Labor Day (federal) Brazilian Day (NY, cultural) California Admission Day (CA) Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day (36) Constitution Day and Citizenship Day (36) Constitution Week Defenders Day (MD) Elevation of the Holy Cross (religious) Feast of San Gennaro (NY, cultural, religious) Ganesh Chaturthi (religious) Gold Star Mother's Day (36) His Holiness Sakya Trizin's Birthday (religious) Mabon (religious) National Grandparents Day (36) National Payroll Week (week) Nativity of Mary / Nativity of the Theotokos (religious) Native American Day (proposed federal) Patriot Day (36) Von Steuben Day
September–OctoberHispanic Heritage Month	Chehlum Imam Hussain (religious) Oktoberfest Pitri Paksha (religious) Rosh Hashanah / Feast of Trumpets (TX, NY, religious) Shemini Atzeret (religious) Simchat Torah (religious) Vijaya Dashami (religious) Yom Kippur / Day of Atonement (TX, NY, religious)
OctoberBreast Cancer Awareness MonthDisability Employment Awareness Month Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month Filipino American History MonthLGBT History Month	Columbus Day (federal) Halloween Alaska Day (AK) Child Health Day (36) General Pulaski Memorial Day German-American Day Indigenous Peoples' Day International Day of Non-Violence Leif Erikson Day (36) Missouri Day (MO) Nanomonestotse (cultural) National School Lunch Week (week) Native American Day in South Dakota (SD) Nevada Day (NV) Spirit Day (cultural) Sweetest Day Sukkot / Feast of Tabernacles (religious, week) Virgin Islands–Puerto Rico Friendship Day (PR, VI) White Cane Safety Day (36)
October–November	Birth of the Báb (religious) Birth of Baháʼu'lláh (religious) Day of the Dead (VI) Diwali (NY, religious) Mawlid al-Nabi (religious)
November Native American Indian Heritage Month	Veterans Day (federal) Thanksgiving (federal) Ascension of ‘Abdu’l Baha (religious) All Saints' Day (religious) Beginning of the Nativity Fast (religious) Beltane / Samhain (religious) Barack Obama Day in Alabama (Perry County, AL) D. Hamilton Jackson Day (VI) Day after Thanksgiving (24) Day of the Covenant (religious) Discovery of Puerto Rico Day (PR) Election Day (CA, DE, HI, KY, MT, NJ, NY, OH, PR, VA, WV, proposed federal) Family Day (NV) Friendsgiving Guru Nanak Gurpurab (religious) Hanukkah (religious) Lā Kūʻokoʻa (HI, unofficial, cultural) Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur (religious) Native American Heritage Day (MD, WA, cultural) Presentation of the Theotokos to the Temple (religious) Trans Day of Remembrance (cultural) Unthanksgiving Day (cultural)
December	Christmas (religious, federal) New Year's Eve Advent Sunday (religious) Alabama Day (AL) Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib (religious) Bodhi Day (religious) Chalica (religious) Christmas Eve (KY, NC, SC, PR, VI) Day after Christmas (KY, NC, SC, TX, VI) Festivus HumanLight Hanukkah (religious, week) Immaculate Conception (religious) Indiana Day (IN) Kwanzaa (cultural, week) Milad Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (religious) National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (36) Nativity of Jesus (religious) Old Year's Night (VI) Pan American Aviation Day (36) Pancha Ganapati (religious, week) Rosa Parks Day (OH, OR) Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (religious) Wright Brothers Day (36) Yule (religious) Zartosht No-Diso (religious)
Varies (year round)	Eid al-Adha (NY, religious) Eid al-Fitr (NY, religious) Islamic New Year (religious) Yawm al-Arafa (religious) Hajj (religious) Laylat al-Qadr (religious) Navaratri (religious, four times a year) Obon (religious) Onam (religious) Ramadan (religious, month) Ghost Festival (religious) Yawm Aashura (religious)
Legend: (federal) = federal holidays, (abbreviation) = state/territorial holidays, (religious) = religious holidays, (cultural) = holiday related to a specific racial/ethnic group or sexual minority, (week) = week-long holidays, (month) = month-long holidays, (36) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies See also: Lists of holidays, Hallmark holidays, Public holidays in the United States, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands.

Authority control databases	NARA