# Are there any current observances in the U.S. that could become federal holidays in the foreseeable future? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 19, 2023, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778 "2023-06-19T15:24:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2023, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/1 "2023-06-19T15:24:44Z")
I don’t well remember the lead-up to adoption of the Martin Luther King’s Birthday federal holiday, but I do remember when it was _not yet_ a federal holiday. I do have an older child’s recollection – I was maybe 12 or so – of an early-1980s PBS documentary (or maybe a docu-drama?) about Martin Luther King that was followed by a an on-air call for his birthday to become a federal holiday. Regarding the newest federal holiday, Juneteenth, it’s hard for me to not think the October 3, 2017 episode (S4, Ep1) of the comedy series _Black-ish_ had a big role in the eventual adoption of the holiday less than four years later. I’m sure I wasn’t moving in the right informational circles to be made aware, but in fall 2017 … Juneteenth didn’t _seem_ to me to be any closer to becoming a federal holiday than it was 10, 20, 50,100 years earlier. It _seems_ like virtually all the legwork to make Juneteenth into a federal holiday took place in just a few years. Academically, I know there had to have been essays, speeches, and other grass-roots efforts going on for decades preparing Juneteenth to go national. So, in thinking about how MLK’s Birthday and Juneteenth eventually crossed over from non-federal observances to federal holidays … it makes me wonder if anything else is being regularly observed somewhere in the U.S. – right now – that could become (or even _likely to become_) a federal holiday in the foreseeable future? I’m thinking in terms strictly in terms of single-day federal holidays in which banks close, mail is not delivered, etc. as opposed to new “Heritage Months” or anything spanning longer periods of time. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/2 "2023-06-19T16:34:21Z")
Election Day. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2023, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/3 "2023-06-19T16:44:35Z")
One group which might be honored would be Native Americans–but I have no idea of an appropriate date. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2023, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/4 "2023-06-19T16:54:16Z")
Cinco de Mayo, as a celebration of the culture of southwestern U.S. > **[Cinco de Mayo | United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de_Mayo#United_States)** > > According to a paper published by the UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture about the origin of the observance of Cinco de Mayo in the United States, the modern American focus on that day first started in California in 1863 in response to the resistance to French rule in Mexico. "Far up in the gold country town of Columbia (now Columbia State Park) Mexican miners were so overjoyed at the news that they spontaneously fired off rifle shots and fireworks, sang patriotic songs an A 2... ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2023, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/5 "2023-06-19T16:57:54Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > One group which might be honored would be Native Americans–but I have no idea of an appropriate date. That’s well on its way to be nationalized, with 18 states currently celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the second Monday of October. > **[Indigenous Peoples' Day (United States) | Indigenous Peoples Day observers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Peoples%27_Day_(United_States)#Indigenous_Peoples_Day_observers)** > > The following U.S. states celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day instead of or in addition to Columbus Day. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2023, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/6 "2023-06-19T17:09:44Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > I don’t well remember the lead-up to adoption of the Martin Luther King’s Birthday federal holiday, but I do remember when it was _not yet_ a federal holiday. I do have an older child’s recollection – I was maybe 12 or so – of an early-1980s PBS documentary (or maybe a docu-drama?) about Martin Luther King that was followed by a an on-air call for his birthday to become a federal holiday. We can also thank Stevie Wonder: > **[Happy Birthday (Stevie Wonder song)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Birthday_(Stevie_Wonder_song))** > > "Happy Birthday" is a song written, produced and performed by Stevie Wonder for the Motown label. Wonder, a social activist, was one of the main figures in the campaign to have the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. become a national holiday, and created this single to promulgate the cause. The song has since become a standard for use during birthdays in general, particularly among African-Americans. > "Happy Birthday" was released as the fourth single of Wonder's Hotter than July (1980) album in ... ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2023, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/7 "2023-06-19T17:26:33Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > That’s well on its way to be nationalized, with 18 states currently celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the second Monday of October. I was going to say that I had heard the idea of Columbus Day perhaps morphing into Indigenous People’s Day. Columbus Day was always a weird one to me. We didn’t even get a day of school for that one! But yes, I have read the history of the holiday and how Italian-American groups (chiefly in NYC?) pushed for the federal holiday. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2023, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/8 "2023-06-19T17:27:39Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > We can also thank Stevie Wonder: That album was released in 1980 – that was right about on time to nudge the later efforts in the early 1980s. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2023, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/9 "2023-06-19T17:42:28Z")
I predict that within 20 years, the federal holiday that falls on the second Monday in October that is currently called Columbus Day will officially be renamed Indigenous Peoples’ Day. There may still be an officially recognized Columbus Day on Oct. 12, but it will not involve the closure of federal government offices. I predict that within 20 years, there will be a new federal holiday to honor Hispanic heritage. El Día de la Raza is probably out since it is celebrated on or about the same date as Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The most likely date for the new holiday will be March 31, the birthday of Cesar Chavez. It is already a state holiday in California (with schools and state offices closed) and recognized in several other states (red, blue, and purple) and municipalities as holiday but typically without closure of government offices and schools. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2023, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/10 "2023-06-19T17:49:45Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > But yes, I have read the history of the holiday and how Italian-American groups (chiefly in NYC?) pushed for the federal holiday. Here in the Chicago area, which also has a significant population of Italian descent, Columbus Day does seem to be mostly “Italian-American Heritage Day.” ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/11 "2023-06-20T00:27:40Z")
I remember the controversy over Arizona’s refusal to honor the MLK holiday. They ended up losing out on a Super Bowl. > **[When Arizona lost the Super Bowl because the state didn’t recognize Martin...](https://andscape.com/features/when-arizona-lost-the-super-bowl-because-the-state-didnt-recognize-martin-luther-king-jr-day/amp/)** > > On March 19, 1991, NFL owners voted to remove the 1993 Super Bowl from Phoenix after Arizona voters failed to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a paid holiday. Th… I seem to recall a comedian making jokes at the time. “How racist do you have to be to oppose this holiday? You don’t have to _do_ anything. Just not go to work.” … Also, 9/11 ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/12 "2023-06-20T09:05:00Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Here in the Chicago area, which also has a significant population of Italian descent, Columbus Day does seem to be mostly “Italian-American Heritage Day.” In Minnesota, Italian descendants would gather by the statue of Columbus on the State Capitol grounds. But Scandinavian descendants would gather on the other side by the statue of Leif Erickson. After competing speeches, catcalls, etc. they would eventually meet in the center of the Capitol grounds for a mass fight. Then all leave to go to their neighborhood bars. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/13 "2023-06-20T09:10:35Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Election Day. IMO, most of the people who think making Election Day a holiday would increase voter turnout have never had a job where they have to work holidays. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/14 "2023-06-20T12:57:07Z")
Stonewall Day? Perhaps it could be celebrated by sharing two kinds of pie. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/15 "2023-06-20T16:43:30Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Also, > 9/11 Five or ten years ago, I would have agreed that 9/11 was bound for becoming a Federal holiday. I’m not so certain of that anymore: it’s certainly still seen as an important event in the nation’s history, and that day has a lot of memorial services and retrospectives, but it also seems, to me, like the shock and impact of that day, and its aftermath, have faded in the national consciousness. I wonder if the overall contentiousness and national discord we’re now dealing with have caused the sense of unity and national purpose that came out of 9/11 to become less relevant. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/16 "2023-06-20T16:59:55Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Five or ten years ago, I would have agreed that 9/11 was bound for becoming a Federal holiday. I’m not so certain of that anymore: it’s certainly still seen as an important event in the nation’s history, and that day has a lot of memorial services and retrospectives, but it also seems, to me, like the shock and impact of that day, and its aftermath, have faded in the national consciousness. I think Pearl Harbor Day had a similar history. Even in my (early) lifetime, it was a bigger deal, but has faded over time. ---
**Author:** ![Yodalicious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yodalicious/32/8195_2.png) [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/17 "2023-06-20T17:02:24Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Five or ten years ago, I would have agreed that 9/11 was bound for becoming a Federal holiday. I’m not so certain of that anymore: it’s certainly still seen as an important event in the nation’s history, and that day has a lot of memorial services and retrospectives, but it also seems, to me, like the shock and impact of that day, and its aftermath, have faded in the national consciousness. > > I wonder if the overall contentiousness and national discord we’re now dealing with have caused the sense of unity and national purpose that came out of 9/11 to become less relevant. Pearl Harbor Day is not a national holiday, I don’t see why 9/11 should be. My take is that 9/11 is an event that today’s kids and young adults can’t relate to. When I visited the site in April, 2022, I had to remind my kids that, technically, it was a cemetery, and I don’t care how other people are behaving, you will be respectful. I imagine it was the same for children born in the late-50s and later. “Pearl Harbor? That was my parents thing.” ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/18 "2023-06-20T17:10:19Z")
> [@Yodalicious](#): > > My take is that 9/11 is an event that today’s kids and young adults can’t relate to. Indeed. Someone under 25 has no memory of it at all; for someone 25-35, if they remember the actual event, it’s something from their childhood, and it likely didn’t have the same visceral impact on them that it did for people who were adults (or even older teenagers) in 2001. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/19 "2023-06-20T17:51:51Z")
I have a feeling that might vary by location - I live in NYC and for most of the 27-35 year-olds I know, it seems to have had the same impact on them as it has on adults. But I know kids in the NYC area had a very different experience than kids in Wisconsin or Idaho. I have never thought 9/11 was going to become a Federal holiday anytime soon. Not because people can’t relate to it or because it has faded. But because of the three-day weekend effect. Any such holiday would almost certainly be scheduled on a Monday, and would replace Labor Day weekend as the unofficial end of summer. And that’s going to have to wait until a lot of people die off - I heard people objecting to that idea before the end of 2001 , before there was really any thought of establishing a holiday. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2023, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778/20 "2023-06-20T21:58:32Z")
In Chicago, which has a large Polish population, they celebrate Casimir Pulaski Day. City offices are closed, a fact which caught me by surprise one year when I went to make a payment on my property taxes after work. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir\_Pulaski\_Day](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_Pulaski_Day) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-current-observances-in-the-u-s-that-could-become-federal-holidays-in-the-foreseeable-future/985778.md?page=2)