Traditional & New Holidays
Y
ears ago there were very few holidays that gave workers the day off. In the United States the original four holidays were: New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Since then there have been more holidays added to the calendar and even more occasions created for giving gifts such as Valentine's Day, Mother's and Father's Day.
This wikipedia.org site lists the federal holidays in the USA.
For holidays in Canada, thecanadaguide.com website is a great source of holiday information.
For a more in depth look at the major federal, religious, traditional, and informal holidays celebrated in the United States see infoplease.com
And just for fun, dictionary.com features non-traditional holidays we could also be celebrating in the US.
The world is filled with national, cultural and religious holidays. Have fun exploring the following sites — you may find a new holiday you want to celebrate!
This website familysearch.org has 8 well described holidays from around the planet.
The site timeanddate.com has carefully researched and constantly updated information featuring holidays, observances, public holidays and other special days in 200+ countries.
For an extensive list of international, national, and regional public holidays, check out calendarlabs.com .
For a list of multinational festivals and holidays for every month, try wikipedia.org".
Finally, here is a website to guide you through how to invent your own holiday. diy-holidays /.
Copy these prompts. Paste them into your favorite AI application. Get more information.
For detailed historical background
"Explain the origins and historical evolution of the four original U.S. federal holidays: New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas."
Comparing holiday systems
"Compare and contrast U.S. federal holidays with Canadian statutory holidays. Include the number of holidays, cultural significance, and any unique celebrations."
For exploring global holidays
"List and describe at least five unique cultural, religious, or national holidays from different continents not mentioned in the PDF."
For learning about modern or unofficial holidays
"What are some popular unofficial or informal holidays celebrated in the U.S. (like Valentine's Day or Father's Day), and how did they become commercially or culturally significant?"
For understanding holiday observances worldwide
"Using timeanddate.com or similar sources, outline how public holidays are determined in different countries (e.g., fixed dates, lunar calendar, government declarations)."
For creative exploration
"Guide me through the process of creating a new, meaningful holiday. What themes, purposes, and traditions could be included?"
For research on specific resources mentioned
"Summarize the types of holiday information available on familysearch.org and calendarlabs.com. What makes each site useful for someone studying global traditions?"
For deeper cultural insights
"How do religious, historical, and cultural influences shape the way holidays are celebrated in different regions of the world? Provide specific examples.
Floral Arranging and Etiquette
"What are the rules or traditions for combining rose colors
Some suggested AI sites are: ChatGPT, Claude.ai, Perplexity.ai, Deepseek and others.
By JM Pietron
Photo Credits: See Acknowledgements