In this GQ thread, lissener laments the lack of a website or other central clearinghouse of information on ceremonial, “awareness,” or otherwise unusual observances on the calendar. By this I mean things like “National Vegetable Awareness Day” or “National Prostate Cancer Awareness Week.”
I’ve decided I’m going to develop a website that lists what sort of ceremonial, awareness, or otherwise obscure observances are going on during any particular day, week or month of the calendar year. This will be a relatively simple site. The January page will have information about January as a whole (January is National Pickle Month, National Lithuanian-American History Month, etc.). Each Monday in January will have information about the following week (the first week in January is National Board Games Week, etc.). Each day in January will have the observances of that day (January 6th is National Kumquat Day). And so on. *NOTE: All of the observances listed so far, and the dates associate with them, are, as far as I know, hypothetical and used for demonstrative purposes only.
So anyway, post to this thread what you know about ceremonial and awareness observances. If you have a link to content, that would be great. For an observance day to be “official,” for the purposes of my website, it has to meet one of three criteria:
[ul]
[li]Legislative decree. IOW, if it has been signed into law.[/li][li]Created by an advisory committee. IOW, if the National Podiatric Council declares April 11th to be National Toe Fungus Day, that’s good enough for me. But if a teenage blogger decides that April 11th is National Pink Sock Day; well, no dice.[/li][li]Webmaster’s discretion. If an observance doesn’t meet any of the above criteria, but I still think it’s cool, I’ll include it. An example of this would be September 19th, National Talk Like a Pirate Day, which will definitely be included. [/li][/ul]
So please, post away! Share whatever you know about any and all ceremonial and awareness “holidays” in the US.
Well, let’s see. According to my calender-on-the-wall, April 25 is Holocaust Remembrance Day. Also this month, April 26 is Administrative Professionals Day in the US and Canada.
Well, the last week in April is National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week formerly known as National Medical Laboratory Week. Apparently the name change reflects the lab as “people” not “place”.
Yeah, right. I’m still just a monkey in a lab coat.
If you could roller skate, now that would be something. I bet people would pay good money (at least a US dime) to see a monkey in a lab coat roller skating.
Roller Skating Monkey Day is June 7th. (At least it should be.)
If you want a list of a bunch of holidays, observances, and historical anniversaries, you can always pick up a copy of Chase’s Calendar of Events.
According to the United States Code, the following are all observances that the President of the United States must federally proclaim each year:
American Heart Month- month of February
Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month- month of May
Cancer Control Month- month of April
Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day- first Saturday after Labor Day
Child Health Day- first Monday in October
Citizenship Day- September 17
Columbus Day- second Monday in October
Constitution Week- September 17-23
Father’s Day- Third Sunday in June
Flag Day- June 14
Gold Star Mother’s Day- Last Sunday in September
Honor America Days- June 14 through July 4
Law Day USA- May 1
Leif Erikson Day- October 9 (hinga-dinga-dürgen!)
Loyalty Day- May 1
Memorial Day- Last Monday in May
Mother’s Day- Second Sunday in May
National Aviation Day- August 19
National Day of Prayer- first Thursday in May
Nat’l Defense Transportation Day- third Friday in May
Nat’l Disability Employment Awareness Month- October
National Flag Week- the week Flag Day is in
Nat’l Forest Product Week- week starting third Sunday in October
Nat’l Freedom Day- February 1
Nat’l Grandparents Day- first Sunday in September after Labor Day
Nat’l Hispanic Heritage Month- September 15- October 15
Nat’l Korean War Veterans Armistice Day- July 27 (ended 2003, the 50th anniversary of the end of the Korean War)
Nat’l Maritime Day- May 22
Nat’l Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day- December 7 (a date which will live in infamy)
Nat’l Poison Prevention Week- third week in March
Nat’l Safe Boating Week- week ending last Friday before Memorial Day
Nat’l School Lunch Week- week beginning second Sunday in October
Nat’l Transportation Week- week third Friday in May is in
Pan American Aviation Day- December 17
Parents’ Day- fourth Sunday in July
Peace Officers Memorial Day- May 15
Police Week- week May 15 is in
Save Your Vision Week- first week of March
Steelmark Month- May
Stephen Foster Memorial Day- January 13
Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday- April 13
White Cane Safety Day- October 15
Wright Brothers Day- December 17
Patriot Day- September 11
/on soapbox
Tomorrow is April 25 so lets all have a moment of silence in our own way to remember the Holocaust and if there are any events in your area, it is always a good idea to attend them.
Dyngus Day is celebrated in Buffalo and South Bend on the Monday after Easter.
In Buffalo, it’s almost quasi-official; it’s acceptable to stay home from work on Dyngus Day, and very little meaningful business gets done.
St. Joseph Day, March 19, is also a big deal in Buffalo.
New Engand seems to have a ton of obscure official holidays; Patriot’s Day, Bennington Battle Day, Town Meeting Day, Bunker Hill Day, Victory Day, and Evacuation Day.
The civil calendar in Puerto Rico … every couple of weeks, there’s some official holiday where government offices are closed. Here’s what I found for 2004:
Jan. 1 - New Year’s Day / Closed
Jan. 6 - Three Kings’ Day / Closed
Jan. 12 - Eugenio María de Hostos’ Birthday (second Monday in January) / Closed
Jan. 19 - Martin Luther King’s Birthday (third Monday in January) / Closed
Feb. 16 - Presidents’ Day (third Monday in February) / Closed
March 22 - Emancipation Day / Closed
April 9 - Good Friday / Closed
April 19 - José de Diego’s Birthday (third Monday in April) / Closed
May 31 - Memorial Day (last Monday in May) / Closed
July 5 - Independence Day (United States) (July 4) / Closed
July 19 - Luis Muñoz Rivera’s Birthday (third Monday in July) / Closed
July 26 - Constitution Day (Puerto Rico) (July 25) / Closed
July 27 - José Celso Barbosa’s Birthday / Closed
Sept. 6 - Labor Day (first Monday in September) / Closed
Oct. 12 - Columbus Day / Closed
Nov. 2 - Election Day / Closed
Nov. 11 - Veteran’s Day / Closed
Nov. 19 - Discovery of Puerto Rico Day / Closed
Nov. 25 -Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November) / Closed
Dec. 25 - Christmas Day / Closed
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